Sacrifice
by MaydayParade8123
Summary: Thalia's mother doesn't exactly care and Nico isn't exactly okay. When Thalia moves to San Francisco, she gets new friends, a loving family, and, who knows? She might even fall in love if she's lucky. Two darkened pasts; can they find solace in one another? This is one of my older fanfics, so don't be too shocked if it's awful. Warnings for self-harm and dark backstories.
1. Prologue

**A/N: **Just a few words! I've uploaded this story by request, to start, and originally I wasn't going to repost it. I'm very pleased with the reaction this fic originally got, what with it being my first chaptered AU fic, but it's been almost two years since I wrote it. That being said, please note that it is in _no_ way indicative of my writing skill now, if I can even call it a skill. Just note that it's not my best work by far; don't have high hopes going into it! There's messy discussions of self-harm (which I didn't understand at all during the time I wrote this) so I hope that doesn't offend anyone!

Summary: Thalia's mother doesn't exactly care and Nico isn't exactly okay. When Thalia moves to San Francisco, she gets new friends, a loving family, and, who knows? She might even fall in love if she's lucky. Two darkened pasts; can they find solace in one another?

Warnings: cursing, trigger warning for self-harm (but there's nothing descriptive, just a mention of it), some pretty annoying almost kisses, and I think I write Nico too happy. The dialogue is a bit messy, too, but it's an old fic, what can you expect? I was developing.

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the Heroes of Olympus series, or any characters I have adopted for this fanfiction. Harry and Clint and Stan are mine._

Prologue

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Sacrifice. Giving something away that you love for the benefit of others.

Sacrifice is not something that I have ever had to think about. My mom is an actress. She's famous. Her name is Jasmine Grace. Everyone loves her. She just got a big break to be in a movie about vampires and werewolves. Apparently, that's all the rage. I just don't see the point in a pale guy with ridiculous hair and a muscular guy with a head to small for his body in short shorts fighting over a girl who talks like she has mental issues.

You now have my opinion of Twilight.

Well, because of my mom being famous, and possibly being in one of the vampire/werewolf movies, I've never had to give up anything. I just got everything I wanted.

Everything that was an object of course. Anything that was material.

What I never got? Love. Friends. People who cared about my well being.

I know what you're thinking. _But, Thalia, you have your mom!_

No, no I don't. She's always at parties, or staying at other guys' houses. She even gave away my little brother because she didn't feel like taking care of him.

And I hate her for that.

So what did my mother say when she told me she was giving me away as well?

"Honey, I'm just thinking in your best interest! You'll move in with a high school friend of mine. She's welcoming you with open arms! You can even change your last name to keep the paparazzi away. I'm sacrificing a lot to give you this chance."

Please. All you're sacrificing is the time to tell me this. You get to gain everything. More money for you, less burden. So what did I do? I took the number she was holding out to me, and I called her high school friend. Her name was Christine Chase.

Mrs. Christine was really nice. Too nice. Fake nice. She had a step daughter who was my age and two twin sons, younger. I would have to move to San Francisco.

It wasn't too far, considering we had just moved to LA. I packed all of my bags, and I walked out of my mom's life without so much as a goodbye. Luckily, she had left a credit card for me on the counter, issued to my name. She left a note stating that it was 'all I would need'.

She doesn't know anything. Money can't solve every problem. My mother's driver was waiting for me outside with a comfortable limo. I stepped in, hating how expensive this was. I hated attention. I hated that she was famous.

"Buckle up, Miss Grace. It will be a long ride to San Francisco," my driver told me. I gave a reply, and followed orders.

I looked down at the paper my mother had left for me on the counter. It was my new name and my back-story. All the information I needed for a new life.

Thalia Jennings. At least I got to keep my first name. Christine Chase is my cousin, and I have no more family left due to an unfortunate fire. My birthday is November 23rd. I have no brothers and sisters. No boyfriend. I've lived all over the world, though.

I sighed and folded the paper. _Thalia Jennings._ It really didn't sound too bad. After all, at least I was away from the lifestyle of being famous. It was too much. I hated it with every cell in my body. I never had a personal moment.

I leaned my head back against the seat. "Hey, Richie? Can you please turn up 102.9?" I asked my driver.

"Yes, Miss Grace," he replied, turning on my favorite station. I hummed along to the song playing and grabbed a Dr. Pepper and settled in for a long ride to my new life. Hello, Thalia Jennings.

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	2. Chapter I - Thalia

Summary: Thalia's mother doesn't exactly care and Nico isn't exactly okay. When Thalia moves to San Francisco, she gets new friends, a loving family, and, who knows? She might even fall in love if she's lucky. Two darkened pasts; can they find solace in one another?

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the Heroes of Olympus series, or any characters I have adopted for this fanfiction. Harry and Clint and Stan are mine._

Chapter I; Thalia

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"Mrs. Christine?" I called as I knocked on the door. I sighed. I had been knocking for about five minutes.

"Oh, you must be Thalia, dear! I'm so sorry!" said a woman, who I assumed to be Christine. She was pretty, and looked as if she were from Asian descent. She had her hair tied up in a messy bun and her hands were full of groceries. "I tried to hurry back. I see I was a little late. How long has it been, dear?" she asked me, a bit too brightly.

"Oh, it's fine," I lied. "It's only been a few minutes."

She smiled. "Good, dear. Annabeth should be getting home from school soon, the boys too. Frederick will not be home until around five today, though," Mrs. Christine said. "Would you mind getting the door?" she thrust a key in my direction.

"Yes ma'am." I turned the key and pushed the door open. She walked past me as I took in the house. It was much smaller than my old one, but I loved it. It was homey. There were a few clothing items strewn along the floor, and toys laying out. I saw an architecture book on the coffee table, and a model airplane.

"I'm sorry for the mess, Thalia," Mrs. Christine told me. "Would you like to come into the kitchen for a drink?" I nodded.

I followed her into the kitchen. "What would you like?" she pulled open a black refrigerator.

"Dr. Pepper, if you have it," I said politely. She smiled and nodded, then placed the canned drink in front of me.

"So, dear. Tell me how your mother's been do – " The door slammed shut, effectively cutting off her sentence.

"Mom! We're home!" I heard a voice call out. I sighed in relief. I really didn't want to talk about my mother. A blonde with long legs and curly hair walked in, causing me to sigh in defeat. She looked like a perfect California girl in her shorts and name brand shirt.

She looked over in my direction as if noticing me for the first time. I was taken aback. Her eyes were a stormy gray, as if calculating the best way to take me down. However, she smiled and ran over to me. "Hey! You must be Thalia! I'm Annabeth!" she was talking fast and excitedly. She hugged me, which really surprised me. I had never gotten any show of affection like this. "I know we barely know each other, but I think we'll get along great!" She pulled on my arm.

"Come on!"

She started pulling me towards the stairs, and I grabbed my drink. "Bye, Mrs. Christine!" I called as I was being rushed away. Annabeth led me up the stairs and to a green door.

She opened it up. "Here's my room, Thalia. Make yourself at home. I've always wanted another girl in the house." I smiled, understanding. My mom wasn't exactly the person I could go to with all my chick problems.

"Thanks, Annabeth." I flopped down on a beanbag, sipping my soda. I looked around her room. There was a bunk bed, a medium sized TV, a white closet and a desk that looked completely out of place. The main feeling of Annabeth's room was girly, and then there was a desk with what seemed to be blueprints along with compasses, pencils, and papers thrown all over it. There was a laptop with an odd triangle symbol on it. I looked back at Annabeth, and she was scowling at her room.

"I hate it. It's so girly it makes me sick." I laughed at that. She smiled at me. I walked over to her side table and looked at her pictures. There was one of her and a guy with black hair and green eyes. He had his arm over her shoulders and was looking down at her, smiling. However, she was facing the camera. I raised an eyebrow at her, asking who it was.

She beamed. "Percy. We've been best friends since I was really young. About eleven," she laughed slightly, looking really happy.

"That's it? _Just _friends?" I asked. She blushed and nodded, confirming. "Huh." I said.

She smiled again. "So, you know we have to go to school tomorrow, right?" she asked happily. _Why was she so damn excited about school?_

"Oh, yeah. Right. Washington High?" I asked. I had seen it when Richie drove through town. She bobbed her head up and down.

"It's a great school, really. You'll get to meet Percy," Annabeth told me.

"I'd like too. He seems to be pretty special to you," I said, shooting her a look. She blushed again. I laughed. "I'm joking, Annabeth."

"I know," she said, laughing a little.

"So, anyone interesting there?" I asked her. She hesitated, and then shook her head.

"What? What were you going to say?" I inquired.

"Nothing. Come on; let's get your bags unpacked." I shrugged off her hesitation. We bounded down the stairs again, and I saw two little boys playing with fire trucks. They said hi to me before playing again. "That's Bobby and Matthew," Annabeth explained.

We lugged my bags up the stairs and I started unpacking everything. "So, you like black?" Annabeth asked me, while folding my Green Day shirt.

I smiled. "Yeah, it's my favorite color. Oh, and I love blue. Sky blue," I shared. "What's yours?"

She gave a small smile. "Sea green and gray. It's the colors I wanted to paint my room, but no, my evil stepmother insisted that I make it girly." She scowled.

I laughed. "She doesn't seem so bad. Maybe a little fake," I said, voicing my opinion. Annabeth grinned at me. "What?" I asked her.

"Nothing," she said, "I'm just glad we're on the same page here." I returned the smile. "So when we're done, what do you want to do? We can go out, I can show you some sights, or we can stay in and watch movies or something," Annabeth suggested.

I beamed. "Please tell me you share my love for horror movies!"

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "I've watched everyone on Netflix. Care to test me?"

I thought. "The Descent?"

Annabeth put on a thinking face. "Yeah. Those white creature things were freaky. I still say that chick is a total hobo for stabbing her friend though. Even if it was an accident, she didn't have to leave her there."

I nodded in agreement. "What about Friday the 13th? Classic version?"

Annabeth put on a smile. "I love it! You wanna watch it tonight?"

_Yes! Someone who understands me! _"Of course!"

"Great. I also have Darkness Falls. You ever seen that?"

I put on a fake voice of the tooth fairy, raspy and scratchy. "I have." I let out a somewhat insane cackle. Annabeth laughed along with me and put my last shirt in the drawer. She held out her hand and I helped her up.

"Thanks," she said. "Now let's go make popcorn with pounds of pour over butter!" She ran out of the room. "Race you!" she called.

"No fair!" I yelled. _This was almost going to great. She loved scary movies, she wasn't a preppy California girl, and she loved pour over butter. I could get used to this._

Halfway through our last movie we were watching, Mrs. Christine walked in. "Girls, it's 12:49 in the morning. Ready to call it a night?" she asked.

Annabeth made a face. "Yes ma'am," she muttered. I stifled a laugh. Annabeth's glare was almost as bad as mine.

I turned off the TV and the Wii Player we were using to watch Netflix. Annabeth hit the lights and gathered up the blankets. I picked up the empty popcorn bowls and tossed them in the sink. I yawned involuntarily. Annabeth did the same. "Me too, Thalia. Let's hit the hay. Or the bunk bed I suppose."

I laughed. I ran up the stairs and called out quietly, "Race you!" Annabeth stuck her tongue out and tried to beat me but I won. When we got inside, she turned on the light.

"So, top or bottom?" she asked. I gaped at her.

"What?" I all but screamed.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "Mind out of the gutter, Thalia. I was asking if you wanted top or bottom bunk."

I stopped gawking at her and politely asked for the bottom. I could swear that the top bunk was fifty feet in the air. Too high for me. I shivered._Heights._

While I was thinking about every terrible way to die by falling from a terribly high bunk bed, Annabeth asked me if I was going to go to sleep. "Yeah," I said. "Night Annabeth."

"Night, Thals," she said, nodding off. I smiled at my new nickname. I've never had one before.

I collapsed on the bed and started drifting off myself. _School in the morning, Thalia. Who do you want to be here? It's a new chance. _It was almost as if the words were spoken in my head rather than me thinking it.

That night, I dreamed of a silvery moon. After a while, the moon was clouded and consumed by a beautiful lightning storm. My own personal light show.

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	3. Chapter II - Nico

Summary: Thalia's mother doesn't exactly care and Nico isn't exactly okay. When Thalia moves to San Francisco, she gets new friends, a loving family, and, who knows? She might even fall in love if she's lucky. Two darkened pasts; can they find solace in one another?

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the Heroes of Olympus series, or any characters I have adopted for this fanfiction. Harry and Clint and Stan are mine._

Chapter II; Nico

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I woke up to the most haunting and treacherous sounds in the world, excluding my dead sister's laughter. What was the sound? My damn alarm clock going off.

I muttered several curse words as I stood up from bed and moped all the way to the shower. Just another day in my sick, boring life.

I winced when I saw the scars on my arms, from years of cutting myself. I had eventually stopped, but I always keep my blades close by. There were times that I still needed something to ease the pain on the inside by distracting me with pain on the outside.

After my shower, I went to my closet and picked a few things out of my solid black wardrobe. I put on my sister's necklace that I wore on a daily basis. It was shiny silver with an arrow as the charm. I never knew why arrows meant so much to her, but she loved them. I sighed. "Morning, Bianca. I miss you," I told my necklace quietly.

My sister had been the only thing that brought light to my life. I've never met my father and my mother never cared. She left me the day I turned sixteen. It's been a year. A full year without anyone.

No one at school trusted me. When my sister disappeared, all of my 'friends' edged away from me. I became the freak. I went from the most popular guy in school to the kid who wore black every day and had no family or friends. Even my teachers hated me.

The only people that were remotely nice to me were Percy and Annabeth. And by remotely, I mean the polite 'hello' or nod in the hallways. Annabeth had saved me a few times when I was asked a question and didn't know the answer. But we were nothing close to friends.

I didn't want anyone. It hurt too much to let people get close.

I sighed again as I tossed my keys up and down in the air. I pulled on my black leather jacket and I made my way down the stairs of the apartment I lived in. It wasn't too far from school, but I still loved driving my baby.

My lips turned up in the slightest smile as I saw my Hearse. The only good thing about my life. I know, that's sad, but it would be the light of your life if you had one, too. I jumped in, flicked the bobble head skeleton someone had left in my locker as a sick joke after I turned what they call 'emo'. Turns out I took a liking to it, so now it sits on my dashboard, its head shaking madly.

I sped to school, even though I wasn't anywhere near being late. I pulled into a parking place near the back of the lot. It was far from the doors of school, but I didn't mind the walk. I touched my sister's necklace one more time and put it underneath my shirt. As I got out of my car, a small petite charcoal gray vehicle pulled up next to mine.

Normally, I wouldn't have paid a second thought to a car like that. But it wasn't the car that surprised me. It was the girl that got out.

Annabeth popped up from the drivers' seat and gave me a small wave. I put a guard over my face to void it of emotion. I didn't allow myself to show any feeling at this sick hellhole I go to school at. As I continued walking past her she called out to me.

"Nico, wait!" she said. I turned around, my mask breaking. No one has addressed me by my name besides teachers since Bianca. I'm sure my look was startled and confused. She gave me a small smile. "I'd like you to meet someone if you don't mind."

I shrugged. Since she was one of the only people who acknowledged my existence, I decided it wouldn't be so bad. I trace my steps back to her. "Uh, sure?" I said, though it sounded more like a question.

She leaned back inside her car and gave the person in the passenger seat a hard stare. "You have to get out sometime, you know."

I heard a loud, dramatic sigh before the sound of the car door opening. I was expecting to see a blonde haired girl with gray-eyes, for some reason. I guess it was because I was just looking at Annabeth.

However, the girl that stepped out of the car robbed me of any words.

She was the exact opposite of what I expected.

And she was so gorgeous it made my head hurt.

She had scene hair that was black. It was messy, but it looked intentional. She had a spray of freckles along her nose. And her eyes…_whoa. _I blinked, thinking it was my imagination. _Nope, definitely not. _Her eyes were electric blue and framed by dark, heavy eyeliner, but she looked nothing like a raccoon. She was positively breathtaking.

I had no clue how long I had been staring at her for, thanks to my ADHD, but I finally knocked myself back into reality. This girl was way too pretty for a freak like me. I gave Annabeth a glance and she gave me a look that clearly said for me to introduce myself.

"Oh, um, my name is Nico," I announced. Her eyes flashed, looking as though she was going to laugh, but no smile reached her lips.

"Thalia. Thalia, uh, Jennings," she said, giving me an up-and-down glance.

"Thalia's my cousin," Annabeth told me, "she just moved here."

"Where'd you move from?" I inquired as I started walking to the doors. They followed suit and started their walk, too.

She hesitated. "Hey, it's cool if you don't want to tell me," I said. "I understand what it's like to be uncomfortable talking about the past. Consider it forgotten," I told her, truly understanding. Why do you think I didn't introduce myself as Nico, the kid with the dead sister?

She gave me a gracious smile, and I once again thought about how beautiful she was. The smile lit up her face. "Thanks," she said softly. I finally glanced down at her clothes. She was wearing black skinny jeans that fit her figure well, converse, and a Green Day shirt.

As soon as I saw Green Day, I forgot to keep my mask on. "Holy shit! Green Day's my favorite band!" I told her with a smile. It felt weird but really natural to smile. Weird because I hadn't smiled in front of a human in a long time, and natural because she seemed really easy going. However, I got the feeling that she could kick my ass if she needed to.

She smiled again. "No way! Mine too! I saw them in concert last year – "

I gaped at her. "You. Did. Not."

She gave me a triumphant smirk. "Oh, but I did. It was amazing!" she said in a sing-song voice.

I gave her a fake glare. "I'm very jealous of you right now," I stated.

She shot me another smirk and laughed at my glare. As we entered the school, Annabeth elbowed me sharply. I looked at her. She gave me a very obvious stare. "What?" I asked her innocently.

She gave me a withering glance and was about to open her mouth when she ran into someone. Actually, that someone ran into her, tackling her to the ground.

"What the – " she started, but then stopped her sentence. "Oh, hey Percy!" He was still leaning over her and her put a paper in front of her face. "What?" she asked.

"Wise Girl, look at it! Look at my grade!" he said, sounding like a little kid whose parents just announced they were going to Disney World.

Her eyes widened and she hugged him. "Percy, that's great! You got a 90! I'm proud of you!" she said happily. He gave her a lopsided grin and helped her up.

"Thanks to you, Annabeth," he said. He gave her a smile. "You are the best best friend ever!"

She returned the smile and turned her attention to us, noticing how we were awkwardly standing there. "Hey, Percy, you know Nico, right?" Percy nodded at me, still smiling. "Okay, good. So here's Thalia. She's my cousin and she just moved in with me!" Annabeth said happily.

Thalia grinned at her and thrust out her hand. "It's great to meet the legendary Percy Jackson. Annabeth never shuts up about you."

Annabeth turned red as a tomato. "Lies!" she proclaimed, punching Thalia's arm. Thalia laughed. It was music to my ears.

Percy winked at her. "Hey it's cool, Annabeth. You don't have to pretend you don't talk about me," he said, laughing a little.

Annabeth gave him a deathly glare, but then the glare softened. "Whatever," she grumbled, pushing past us. Percy ran to catch up with her as she strutted to her locker.

I chuckled. Even as a guy, it was really obvious that they liked each other. "Oh my gosh. She told me they were 'just friends'. What lies," Thalia said, pretty much stating my opinion.

I laughed. It still sounded weird to me. I hadn't laughed in years. "I know, right? People assume their dating all the time." I thought of something. "Hey, do you have your schedule yet?" She gave me a confused look. "I'll take that as a no. Come on, I'll show you to the front office," I said. I scowled at myself. _Since when do I offer things like this? Wait, no, since when do I talk to people, period? When was the last time I laughed? _I sighed inwardly at myself. _You are so weird, _I told myself.

Thalia gave me a relieved glance. "Yes, please. I'm afraid Annabeth's preoccupied," she said. I gave a small laugh and started walking, waiting for her to follow me. She did. _Ha. _"So, how do things work here?" she asked.

I pondered her question. "Things?" I raised an eyebrow.

She nodded. "Social status. Who do we hate, who do we like. Stuff like that," she said.

I looked at her. I pointed to a group of girls dressed in all pink applying make-up and spraying perfume. "Hold your breath," I told her as we passed. She nodded. After we had made it through the deathly smell of perfume and the sound of giggles, I started talking again. "That was the popular girls. They think every guy wants them," I told her. She took on an amused look. "Yeah, I know. Surprises me, too."

I pointed to a group of kids with beanies and skateboard, which weren't supposed to be in the hall. "Skaters, or stoners, whichever you prefer." She laughed.

I pointed to the largest group in the hall. "Pretty boys. Sweater vests, polos, gelled hair, mirrors in their lockers," I explained, flinching a little. I seemed to forget for a moment that it used to be me.

"Ah," she said. "What about you?" Thalia asked. "Where do you hang out?"

I think I may have blushed. "Uh, by myself. Usually I just stand by my locker getting glared at until the bell rings," I said.

She gave me a sympathetic glance. Out of nowhere, she touched my arm. I stiffened. "Sorry," she said, "but I know where you're coming from. I feel like that all the time."

I grinned at her, relieved. "It's fine, I just…" I faltered. _Should you tell her about Bianca? Or would she think you were crazy?_

"What?" she asked me, concerned. _Not yet, _I decided.

"Ah, nothing," I told her. We were passing through the courtyard. "Everyone out here is the normal kids. They talk to everyone, but they're in separate groups." I pointed to where I saw Annabeth and Percy. "That's Annabeth and Percy's group. They hang out with Silena, Beckendorf, Travis, Conner, a girl named Rachel who I really don't like, and a few others. That's probably where you'll end up," I told her.

She stared at the group for a second and shook her head. "No," she said, "I won't fit in there. I guess I'll have to join the loner's group with you." She smiled at me playfully. I laughed.

"Here we are," I announce as I opened the door to the office. Mrs. Debbie, the secretary looked up with a bright smile.

"Oh, you must be Thalia, dear!" she gushed. "Here's your schedule!" She thrust a paper in Thalia's direction. "Let me know if you need anything! We can redo your schedule if you need – "

"Thank you," Thalia said, cutting her off.

Mrs. Debbie smiled. "Your locker number is in the top right corner! Have fun at Washington High! You're our number one priority!" she exclaimed.

"Yes ma'am," Thalia muttered, practically running at the door. As soon as we were out of earshot, Thalia sighed loudly.

"She is exhausting!"

I chuckled. "Yeah, she takes some getting used to. Let me see your schedule." She handed it to me. "Okay, cool. We have first, second, fourth, sixth and seventh together," I told her. She sighed in relief. I looked at her locker number.

"And your locker is just across the hall from me."

She smiled. "Great!" I returned the smile and set off down the hall. I showed her to her locker, and she opened it on her first try. "Beginner's luck?" she suggested. I chuckled and headed to my locker. I grabbed my English and my History binder. Those were my first two classes. She appeared at my side. "Ready to walk me to class?" she asked.

I grinned into my locker, pulling out my English book. "You bet," I told her. She chuckled at me.

"Well come on! I don't want to be late!" she yelled.

"Okay, okay!" I yelled, matching her tone. She rolled her eyes. I started walking to my first period, feeling as though I fit in for the first time in years.

I glance over a Thalia, seemingly a free spirit and everything I wasn't right now. _Thalia Jennings, _I said in my head, _Thank you._

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	4. Chapter III - Thalia

Summary: Thalia's mother doesn't exactly care and Nico isn't exactly okay. When Thalia moves to San Francisco, she gets new friends, a loving family, and, who knows? She might even fall in love if she's lucky. Two darkened pasts; can they find solace in one another?

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the Heroes of Olympus series, or any characters I have adopted for this fanfiction. Harry and Clint and Stan are mine._

Chapter III; Thalia

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I liked Nico. As a friend of course. I mean, he was definitely cute, but he didn't see me that way. And as of right now, I didn't see him that way either.

Nico made me laugh, and I felt really comfortable with him. I could see us becoming best friends. He dressed a lot like me, and he had a passion for Green Day. Anyone who likes Green Day is on my good side.

I snuck a sideways glance at Nico who was scowling at his English textbook. He had shaggy black hair, olive skin, and brown eyes so dark you could consider them black. He wore a leather jacket and converse. We had a lot in common.

I really just wanted to tell him thank you. After everything I've went through in the past week, he's made me laugh more in thirty minutes than I have in my whole life before I moved here. He was serious, but he had a really goofy side.

I noticed a little silver chain peeking out from under his shirt.

"Hey, Nico?" He looked at me. "Can I see your necklace?" I asked him, curious.

He hesitated and nodded. He pulled out a simple silver chain with a pretty arrow on it. I reached forward and I touched it. Engraved on the back was a name. _Bianca. _He took a deep, shaky breath. "Nico…?" I trailed off.

He looked at me with such pain in his eyes that I recoiled. "Nico, I'm so sorry. I'm a terrible person. I don't know why I don't have any respect for personal boundaries – "

"Thalia, it's fine," he said quietly, cutting me off. "Really. Bianca's just…" his voice failed.

"Your girlfriend?" I asked.

He gave a small chuckle. "No, Bianca's my sister."

"Oh, well that's sweet of you to have a necklace for her," I told him. He smiled at me and nodded, but I saw that he was about to say more.

"Uh, Thalia, you deserve the truth." He took another deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. "Well, Bianca, um, _was _my sister," he said softly.

_Oh. Oh my gosh. _I touched his arm again, and he didn't flinch. "Nico, I'm sorry," I said quietly. He nodded, his eyes shining. I just rubbed his arm. I know it wasn't much, but I felt like he would be weirded out if I hugged him.

Suddenly, the normal Nico was back. "So, what'd you get for number four?" he asked. I blinked. _Wow, he changed personalities fast. _"And thank you," he said.

I nodded. "You're welcome. Anytime, Nico. I'm here for you, okay? Number four is B."

He thanked me again and then frowned. "I got C. No, wait, D. No, you're right it's B." He shook his head. "I have no clue. I'll just put B 'cause you said so."

We finished the rest of our work carrying on friendly conversation, not mentioning our past lives. He made me feel accepted, as though none of it ever happened.

When it was time to go to second period, he gave me a quick summary. "Okay, so our next class is History. Our teacher is Mrs. Reynolds, and I'll bet money that she's evil," he said with a straight face. I laughed. "No, Thalia, I'm serious. This is legit. She's scary. And no teacher gives this much homework unless they're evil," he stated plainly. I laughed again.

He smirked at me and sat in a seat at the very back. He dropped his stuff and came back to meet me. He led me to Mrs. Reynolds who regarded me with a cold gaze. "Hello Ms… Ah, Ms. Jennings. Welcome to History. I'm Mrs. Reynolds. Here's your textbook. You will have nightly homework, usually ten essay questions. Take the seat next to Nico and he'll show you the ropes," she said, leering at Nico.

As we walked to the back of the room, everyone went silent and stared at Nico. I saw fear, disbelief, boredom, annoyance, and hatred. _Why does everyone dislike him? I think he's cool._

"They think I killed my sister or something," Nico said, reading my mind. He blinked, realizing what he said at looked to me for a reaction.

"Well, that's dumb of them," I said. He smiled, relieved.

"Great, I thought you were going to start hating me too."

"Who says I don't?"

He glared at me playfully. "Well played, Thalia. Well played."

I laughed. "Nico, thank you," I said. The words flowed out of my mouth without permission. It seemed to happen a lot around him. I felt like I didn't have to filter my thoughts, or try to be anything. He made me feel normal.

He looked at my quizzically, then he smiled. "For what?"

"For making me laugh more in one day than I have in the past seventeen years of my life. For not pestering me when I didn't tell you every detail of my life. For showing me the ropes, really. Oh, and for liking Green Day," I said.

His smile widened. "You're welcome, Thalia. But really, I should be thanking you. You-You're the first person I've had a full conversation with since… since Bianca." His face darkened, then he smiled again. "Everyone kinds hates me here, so I don't have any friends. I mean, I used to…" He got a faraway look in his eyes, and I felt like an intruder.

I touched his arm to bring him back to reality. When I did, I accidently shocked him, and he shocked me. "Damn carpeted rooms," he muttered.

I stifled a laugh and opened my book to the page Mrs. Reynolds had assigned us to read. Too soon, the bell rang. I looked at my schedule and groaned mentally. I had math with Mr. Johnson next. "Uh, Nico?" I asked him.

"Yeah?" he turned to me, picking up his binders and books. I wanted to ask him where Mr. Johnson's room was, but before I could open my mouth he cut me off. "I'll show you to class. I just have a free period, so it won't matter."

I sighed, relieved. "Thanks," I told him. He shrugged, assuring me that it wasn't a problem. In no time, I was walked to class, acquainted with the teacher, and sitting down listening to Mr. Johnson drone on and on about the quadratic formula.

A girl who sat in front of me turned around. "Hey there," she said, sounding friendly. She had choppy brown hair with small braids framing her face. "I'm Piper." She gave me a smile. She was seriously pretty, but she wore no make-up, and loose clothes as if she didn't want to draw attention to it.

"Hi, I'm Thalia," I told her. I looked around and everyone was breaking to pairs to do the work. "So, we're partners?" I asked.

"Sure," she said, turning her whole desk around. She immediately got to work. "So, number one…" We worked through the problems together, both of us ignoring the people staring. People were staring at Piper because she's gorgeous, and people were staring at me because I'm the new kid. Fun.

I missed Nico being here. He made me feel like less of a freak. I brightened up, remembering that we had the same class next period. I glanced at my schedule. Drama.

I smiled. As much as I hated to admit it, I loved theatre. Not movies, like my mother, but theatre. Live performances, dramatic entrances. And I wasn't too shabby at acting. Huh. I guess I did get some of my mother's genes. We looked nothing alike with her bleach blonde hair and light blue eyes.

The bell startled me. I jumped, and then scooped up my second textbook of the day and my binders. I called a goodbye to Piper and rushed to my locker, hoping I would find someone to point me in the direction of the drama room. I opened my locker and tossed my books in. I slammed my locker shut and then jumped about six feet in the air.

Annabeth was standing next to my eyebrow with an amused expression. "Well?" she asked.

"Huh?" I replied brightly.

She rolled her eyes. "Come on! Tell me what's up with Nico."

I glared at her. "Nothing. I just met him. We're friends. What's up with you and Percy?"

She blushed. "Touché."

I gave her a wicked smile. "So, where's drama with Mr. Winston?"

She grinned. "Follow me, I'm headed there now." I nodded and followed her to my fourth period class.

As I was walking through the door, I ran smack into a brick wall. _Way to make a good impression, Thalia._

However, it was not a wall I hit. "Oh, hi Nico," I said. He laughed quietly and I hit his arm. "Shut. Up."

"Fine, fine," he said, walking to his seat. I followed him and sat next to him. Percy and Annabeth joined us, holding hands still, even though she was only leading him to where we were.

Percy smiled his friendly grin that made everyone feel included. "Awesome! We all have this class together. Have you ever had drama before, Thalia?" Percy questioned me.

I shook my head. "Not the actual class, but I do have theatre experience," I told him. It wasn't a complete lie, I had acted in a few shows, but most of my experience came from the days when I used to help my mom practice.

Nico and Annabeth started at me. "You do?" Percy asked incredulously.

I nodded, uncomfortable with all the attention. "Um, yeah."

"How?" Nico asked, bewildered.

I opened my mouth, trying to pull a lie out of thin air, but the gracious Mr. Winston saved me. "Good afternoon, class!" he called.

Replies rose up from the large auditorium. Mr. Winston grinned. "I've heard that we have a new student today. Mrs. Jennings, will you please join me on the stage?" I stood, feeling uncomfortable, yet confident. Theatre was part of my home territory. I wouldn't mess it up too bad, would I?

I stood next to Mr. Winston on the stage. He gestured for me to take the floor. It was great. In this room, I saw no harsh stares. I saw curious smiles, some people nodding for me to go on, and Nico, Annabeth and Percy beaming at me.

"Hey everyone. I'm Thalia Gr – Jennings. Thalia Jennings," I said, cursing myself for almost revealing my identity.

"What do you like to do?" called out an anonymous voice.

I thought about it. "I like to listen to music. I can play a little guitar. I'm not a bad singer, but I'm not good. I think I'm okay at theatre. I enjoy a violent game of volleyball," I said, grinning wickedly. A few 'heck yeahs' rose up from the crowd. "I can't dance well, though," I admitted. "Oh, and I like wearing black, as you can see."

When I ended, I got a loud applause and eventually a standing ovation. I grinned, for once not bothered by the attention I was getting. "Great job, Thalia. I see you don't have stage fright," he commented. I nodded. "Good. You wouldn't be able to survive this class if you did. Class, come join us on stage. Let's do some warm-ups!"

Everyone ran up to the stage besides Nico. He walked at a leisurely pace. "Remember, there are no limits in this room. No personal space either," Mr. Winston said, laughing. "Just don't get too vulgar on me, okay?"

"Yes sir!" we chorused.

We went through a series of warm ups. There was one where everyone got in a circle, and five people ran around in the middle a chose a random person. When you stopped in front of them, you had to grind on them. It was a lot of fun, and it got all your nerves out. Then we did some vocal warm ups and some stretching just in case. We played a few games that I had seen on Drew Carrey's Improv-a-ganza. By the end of class, I had decided that this would be my favorite time of the day.

As soon as the bell rang, everyone yelled, "Lunch!" I laughed as we gathered our stuff and Annabeth pulled on my hand, leading me to the cafeteria. We stood in line, and I got a slice of pizza and some seriously good fries.

The lunch tables were all over the courtyard and they were rectangular and square. Annabeth claimed her seat at a long rectangular table and I sat across from her. Before I knew it, the whole table filled. Nico sat next to me, and Percy sat next to Annabeth, staring at her for most of the lunch period.

She finally noticed his gaze and punched him. "Percy, wake up!" she shouted. He flinched and laughed nervously as he turned the color of a tomato. Annabeth laughed it off, and he returned to his normal color.

Nico elbowed me and said in a voice only low enough for me to hear, "Jeez, I just wish they would make-out and get it over with."

I laughed and nodded while Annabeth and Percy stared at us curiously. "What?" they asked in unison. Nico and I just about doubled over in laughter. How could they not notice how much they liked each other?

Too soon, the lunch bell rang. My classes were uneventful for the rest of the day. I kept chanting my schedule in my head so I could memorize it._English, History, Math, Drama, Study Hall, Science, Track/Library. _You see, I had a daily choice for my seventh period. I could either go to the library for research or homework, or I could go exercise at the track. I had chosen library for the day and Nico had walked with me there from our science class.

As the bell rang, Nico kept the same pace as me, since we were walking to cars parked right next to each other. As we exited the school, we saw Percy and Annabeth leaning against a tree, a book in Annabeth's lap and Percy scowling at the book. "Annabeth!" I called.

She looked up from her book and beckoned for us to meet them at the tree. I nodded and made my way over there, Nico beside me.

By the time we got there, Percy was laughing and Annabeth was blushing. _She'll explain that to me later, _I thought.

Percy stood up and held out his hand. "Come on, Wise Girl." He offered his hand. She hesitated and looked away before looking back at him and accepting his hand. He helped her up and then steadied her from falling back down. "You guys ready to go home?" He asked us all.

"Yeah," I said truthfully. I was tired, even though this day had turned out way better than I had expected. Percy nodded and we all started walking to our cars. Actually, Percy just kept walking with us until he saw Annabeth seat belted in, then he walked to his car which was on the other side of the lot. "Wow, he went through a lot of trouble to walk you here," I stated.

Annabeth blushed. "He does it every day. He's protective of me because one year, this horrible girl named Reyna bumped me with her car. I fell over, but I didn't get hurt. It wasn't a big deal, but ever since then, Percy has walked me to my car."

"Sweet," I said. She shrugged. I remembered something and I rolled down my window just as Nico was opening his car door. "Hey, Nico?" I said.

He turned to face me. "Hey, Thalia. What's up?"

I grinned. "Nothing. Just, thanks again. You were a great tour guide," I told him.

He returned my smile. "Thank you, Thalia. You know what for," he said, as sadness tinted his eyes. I gave him a sympathetic smile. Just then, out of nowhere, something flew at my face. I jumped and yelped holding my cheek where the 'something' hit my face. I glared in the direction it had come from. I saw the Stoll brothers, both holding pinecones. I looked down in my lap where the foreign object lay. A pinecone. Busted. They hit the ground running and jumped in their truck. Before I knew it, they were out of sight.

Annabeth chuckled and started up the car. I looked in the mirror and saw that my face had the imprint of the pinecone.

It was fading quickly though. I heard a laugh. "See you tomorrow, Pinecone Face," Percy called as he drove past our parked cars. _Crap. Had everyone seen? _Nico and Annabeth laughed as I blushed.

Nico looked at me. "Bye, Thalia. See you later." He jumped in his car and started it up, but Annabeth reversed faster than he did and cut him off. He honked loudly and Annabeth laughed. I admired his Hearse, my dream car.

"So Thalia, how was your first day?" Annabeth asked me on the way home.

"Great, surprisingly," I told her truthfully. At this point, I was thanking my mother for giving me up. I loved my new school and my new friends. Percy and Nico were both great people.

"I see you and Nico are getting closer," Annabeth mused. I smacked her arm.

"Shut up, Chase!" I ordered her.

She laughed. "I have a feeling you two are going to be close like Percy and I," she said happily.

"Oh, you mean secretly liking each other and flirting 24/7 but being to dimwitted to tell each other?" I asked.

Annabeth didn't even deny it this time. "Yeah," she said, "I think you guys will be exactly like that."

;;;


	5. Chapter IV - Nico

Summary: Thalia's mother doesn't exactly care and Nico isn't exactly okay. When Thalia moves to San Francisco, she gets new friends, a loving family, and, who knows? She might even fall in love if she's lucky. Two darkened pasts; can they find solace in one another?

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the Heroes of Olympus series, or any characters I have adopted for this fanfiction. Harry and Clint and Stan are mine._

Chapter IV; Nico

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I talked to Bianca the whole way home, as always. I could practically hear her responses in my head.

"Hey, B. So, listen, we got a new girl today," I said aloud.

_Oh-em-gees! Tell me about her!_

I chuckled at hearing Bianca's excited voice in my head. "Her name is Thalia Jennings. She had black hair and really pretty bright blue eyes. She wears heavy makeup, but it really works for her," I explained.

_Ooooh, she sounds pretty! Normally, I'd say hells no to the raccoon make-up, but if you say it works, then I'm sure it does. How's Percy and Annabeth? Are they together yet?_

"Yeah, she is, B. She's pretty. And she's cool, too. Percy and Annabeth have yet to get together. They've been flirting like crazy though!" I told her.

_Oh, the plot thickens. Keep me updated on them, now. So, tell me more about this Thalia character you're head over heels for!_

I nearly slammed on breaks. If I was the one imagining her responses, where did that come from? However, it sounded just like something she would proclaim after I just met her. "Bianca, it's been a day. _One _day."

I heard her laugh that haunts me at times. _Whatever, Nico. I think you guys will become close though._

I nodded. "Me too. I can see us being best friends, weirdly enough. She likes Green Day," I told Bianca.

_Wow, she even likes your music! Package deal!_

I chuckled. "Yeah." A thought occurred to me. "Actually, B, she… She really reminds me of you. The way you can tell by her eyes that she is a caring person, but she'd definitely kick your ass if she had to."

_Yep, that's me. _Bianca laughed._Maybe she can help you, you know._

"Yeah, I've thought about that. The way she reminds me of you actually made me open up to her today. I told her about you," I said.

_Wow, already confiding in her? This could get interesting, Nico. Keep me posted!_

"I will, B. Promise," I said as I pulled up to my parking spot. "I'll talk to you later, okay?"

_Definitely! TTYL, brother!_

I chuckled and took the keys out of the ignition. I jogged up the steps to my apartment and I swung open the door.

"Honey, I'm home!" I called out in a sing-song sarcastic voice.

I worked through my math problems quickly, probably getting the majority of them wrong. As soon as I was finished, I walked into the kitchen and made myself two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I still had a bit of kid in me. I reached into the cabinet and I pulled out two plates. I flinched. _Well, that hasn't happened in a while. _It must have been how I was imagining her responses today in the car. It made me forget she was gone.

I sighed deeply and blinked rapidly to clear my eyes of tears. I put the plate back and threw my sandwiches on the remaining plate. I turned up loud music to clear my head. _Ironic, right?_

I turned on the television and I muted it after switching the channel to MTV. To me, the shows were so much better without the annoying as hell announcers. I jammed out to my music as I watched TV and inhaled my food.

I finished my food and I laid the plate on the ground. I watched TV and listened to music for a while until it hit around

8:00. I picked up my plate and tossed it in the sink. I warmed up some takeout as my dinner and then made the decision to hit the hay early.

"Night, B," I called out, as though she were still here. I know it was odd, talking aloud to her, but I dare you to have the only person who's ever cared for you die and not talk to them.

_Night, Nico! Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite!_

I smiled at the familiar phrase she always used to say before we went to bed. It used to get on my nerves, but now I missed it.

I went to sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

* * *

That night, I had not one, but two unexpected visitors in my dream.

_I was in place that had ebony colored grass. It was a large field that stretched on for miles. Pure blackness was the sky._

_The only true light in the place was the gorgeous tree in the center of the field. It was full of life, and colorful._

_I, on instinct, moved towards it. All around me were little gray clouds. They were shuffling around, and I heard a chattering sound that I couldn't place. As I walked, the many smoky clouds moved out of my way as if they were scared of me. The chattering got louder._

_Finally, I reached the tree and I was truly surprised by what I saw. It was a flickering image of Thalia. She was leaning up against the tree with her hair in a careless sidebraid. She had a worn out notepad lying next to her and a deep blue guitar in her hands. She strummed a few chords and hummed, then wrote something down. She was wearing black sweat pants and a Linkin Park tour t-shirt. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and continued working._

_I suddenly noticed one of the black, chattering clouds move forward, closer to her. I tensed and then stumbled backwards when the cloud began to form features. Eventually, it morphed into a smoky version of Bianca. She looked right at me and pointed at her. "Oh-em-gees! Nico, is that her?" she exclaimed with a smile._

_I nodded mutely and blushed, embarrassed that she could see my dream. "Yeah, that's Thalia," I said in a small voice._

_"You don't have to whisper, Nico. She can't hear you. She's simply a hologram. You projected it from your mind. See?" she asked as she ran a hand through Thalia's head. The image flickered as her hand passed through._

_"Oh," I said stupidly. Bianca rolled her eyes._

_"She's pretty, Nico!" she said happily._

_I shrugged. "Of course she is. But I don't really see her like that yet, and she doesn't either," I explained._

_"Key word: yet," Bianca said with a playful wink. "I get it Nico. I can see you guys becoming good friends."_

_I nodded. "Yeah, even best friends. We have a lot in common," I told her._

_Bianca smiled. "I really miss you, Nico. I wish I could see her in person."_

_I blinked the stinging out of my eyes. "I miss you too, B. You'd love her."_

_Bianca suddenly faded a little. She frowned as if something was troubling her. "Well, I'll see you later, Nico. I gotta go!_

_Love you! Now wake up!" she shouted with a smile._

_The last thing I saw was a happy, fading Bianca and a concentrated Thalia playing her blue guitar._

* * *

I woke up at exactly 8:29 AM. I sighed. I could have had one more minute of sleep.

Just as I thought that, my alarm clock went off.

"Spoke too soon," I muttered as I turned it off. I checked my phone for messages I knew wouldn't be there.

I forced myself out of bed and trudged to my shower, groaning out loud. I could still remember every detail of my dream, and it bothered me. I took a five minute shower and brushed my teeth. I walked into my bedroom with a towel around my waist and threw on a black v-neck with gray skinny jeans. I pulled on my ever-present leather jacket and tied my black, worn-out Converse.

I sighed to myself and shoved my wallet in my back pocket. I picked up my phone and trailed into the kitchen. I gulped down some orange juice and picked out a Little Debbie cake. More of the kid in me. I could eat Swiss Rolls and Zebra Cakes for the rest of my life. I ate my breakfast and I put my cup in the sink.

I checked my phone for the time and saw that it was exactly 8:45. _Time to go, _I said with fake happiness in my head.

I grabbed my keys off the hook and I stepped down the stairs humming no particular tune. I approached my baby and greeted her. I patted the hood. "Morning, Suzie."

I don't know why I called her that. I sighed. _You, Nico, are truly a character, _I told myself. I think I just said Suzie one day and it stuck.

I drove to school without any music. Surprisingly, I rolled down the windows and I listened to the sound of the wind. It was really refreshing… Or at least as refreshing as California air was.

I pulled into a parking spot and I just sat in my car, leaning my head back against the seat. I had dozed off until I heard an obnoxious honk and a loud yell of my name. I jumped and hit my knee on the steering wheel.

I cursed and looked around for the one who shouted my name. I got out of my car and picked up my binders along with my keys. As soon as I slammed the door, I saw the culprit. There was Annabeth and Thalia, pulling into the spot next to mine.

I smiled and waved as I shifted my knee that was still in pain. I stretched and opened the door for Thalia as Annabeth turned off the car.

Thalia smiled her thanks and picked up her books. Since I only had two thin binders, I took her books. She rolled her eyes at me. "Nico…" she warned, but I just held up my hand.

"No, no. I insist, Ms. Jennings," I said politely. She punched my arm and blushed lightly. I smiled and stifled a laugh.

"Whatever, Nico," she said, still smiling.

"Hey, Annabeth!" I heard someone call. I nudged Thalia as I saw Annabeth's face light up as she waved at Percy.

"Obvious much?" Thalia said under her breath. I laughed lightly.

"Come on," I told her, nodding towards the school. "Let's give the lovebirds some alone time."

"I heard that, Nico!" Annabeth called after us. I laughed as Percy was asking what I said. I saw Percy and Annabeth walking a far behind us, shoulder to shoulder. They walked on the same footsteps, perfectly in sync.

I turned my attention back forward. "Morning, Thalia," I said.

She gave a short laugh. "Goodmorning, Nico."

I was grinning as we walked in a comfortable silence towards our lockers. When she reached hers, she couldn't get it open. "Put in your combination," I ordered. She did.

I banged on the top corner, the bottom corner, and finally the middle of the locker. It popped open and she narrowed her eyes as though the locker were her enemy. "Thanks, Nico," she grumbled. I laughed and handed her the three books I was carrying for her. She rolled her eyes at my gentlemen-ness again.

I leaned up against the locker next to hers and watched her. I glanced into her locker and saw posters for all my favorite bands: Green Day, Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance, Mayday Parade, and a few others.

After a few seconds of retrieving the books she needed, she looked to me. "Take me to your locker," she said. I stared at her for a second. She was so direct. I was once again surprised at the fact that she reminded me so much of Bianca.

I nodded and turned on my heel. She kept my pace and I arrived, opening my locker with ease. I gave her a sideways glance, catching her roll her eyes. I smiled.

"Got something to say, di Angelo?" she asked me with a raised eyebrow.

I gave her a sly smile. "Nope," I said quickly. She gave me a smug look.

"Thought so," she said as I closed my locker.

I rolled my eyes. "Let's just go to first period, Jennings," I told her.

She laughed and we walked together. We worked together all throughout English. I learned that she also loved the color blue and that her favorite flavor of gum was spearmint. She didn't really play sports, but she enjoyed volleyball. She only ate chocolate ice cream and shared my love for Little Debbie cakes. Finally, she confessed to me that she was head over heels for my car.

"I've always wanted a Hearse," she said dreamily.

I smiled. "It's been my dream car forever as well. Hey, maybe one day I'll let you drive it," I offered.

She beamed at me. "I'll love you forever," she said in a singsong voice.

I laughed. "Tell you what, I'll let you drive it whenever you want, as long as I'm present, _if _you promise to sing for me," I told her.

She gave me a weird look. "Why do you want to hear me sing?"

I blushed, then I smirked at her. "I'd like to know if you suck or not," I said with a wink.

It was her turn to blush. "I agree to your terms, di Angelo, but it's only because I get to touch a Hearse," she said, narrowing her eyes in a fake glare. She laughed. "Hey, Annabeth, Percy and I are supposed to be hanging out later today at the mall. Like, around five. Wanna tag along?" she asked me.

I stared at her in surprise. I hadn't been invited to go anywhere in a really long time. She looked down. "You don't have to, of course," she added hastily.

I smiled. "No, please, I'd love to. I haven't been out in ages," I told her. She gave me a sympathetic look and patted my arm. I looked down, remembering Bianca and my dream last night. My head shot up. "Hey, Thalia, do you have a guitar?" I asked her.

She raised an eyebrow. "Yes…?" she trailed off.

"Is it blue?" I asked, practically holding my breath.

She gave me a surprised look. "Uh, yeah… How'd you know?" she asked me.

I shrugged. _She never told me that. How did my dream know? _Her blue eyes bored into me. "Are you stalking me?" she asked jokingly. I shook my head and laughed. Thankfully, she let it go. I didn't want to tell her that I dreamed about her.

We moved through our classes and I walked her to math. For my free period, I sat in my car and listened to 102.9.

When it was time for Drama, I turned off my car again and went to the auditorium. Conversation was buzzing as Mr. Winston took roll. We did more warm-ups and he announced that we would be doing a school play, but everyone would vote at lunch today. "The choices are_Oklahoma!_,_Wicked_, _Grease_, or _Cinderella._"

I groaned as Thalia grinned widely. "What?" I asked her.

"Vote for _Wicked! _Please! It's an awesome play!" She seemed so excited that I couldn't help but smile too.

"Okay," I told her, "I didn't know what to vote for anyways."

She looked at me warily. "Whatever you do, don't let someone vote for_Oklahoma!_"

I gave her a questioning look. "Why?"

"Unless you want to see everyone dressed up in terrible mismatched outfits that look like they came from a country bumpkin thrift store, you really don't want that play," she said.

I tried to wipe the mental picture of Thalia in a button up blouse and a long plaid skirt from my mind. However, as soon as I got it away, I got a picture of me in overalls and I cringed. She laughed. "Yeah. Try getting that mental picture out of your brain," she said jokingly.

We talked for the rest of the period and she explained the play _Wicked _to me. I was memorizing every detail of her face, preparing for the moment when she decides I'm a freak and ditches me. I was waiting for Ashton Kutcher to jump out with a camera crew and tell me that I'd been punked. The fact that I'd actually found a genuine friend seemed too good to be true.

As we walked to our last class of the day, I had an idea. "Thalia, let's go to the track today instead of the library."

She looked at me as if I had grown another head. "What?"

I laughed at her expression. "Come on, we can't talk in the library and I don't feel like Google-ing random things to pass the time." I poked out my bottom lip, just to lay it on thick. "Please?" I asked, dragging out the word.

She rolled her eyes as she laughed. "Fine, di Angelo," she said as she pulled on my hand, leading me to the track. I felt a spark of electricity.

I was beginning to wonder whether or not it was the carpeted floors.

;;;


	6. Chapter V - Thalia

Summary: Thalia's mother doesn't exactly care and Nico isn't exactly okay. When Thalia moves to San Francisco, she gets new friends, a loving family, and, who knows? She might even fall in love if she's lucky. Two darkened pasts; can they find solace in one another?

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the Heroes of Olympus series, or any characters I have adopted for this fanfiction. Harry and Clint and Stan are mine._

Chapter V; Thalia

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I was actually really happy that Nico made the suggestion of going to the track. I wanted to talk to him more. There was something about him that made me want to know everything. So when we got to the track, I tied my hair up and left on my school clothes. We started to walk around the track at a leisurely pace in silence.

I was glad that the track was deserted today, leaving us with ourselves. "Nico, tell me a story," I told him.

He gave me a sideways glance. "What about?"

I really wanted to hear more about Bianca, but I knew that would be rude to ask for. "Anything."

He got a small smile on his face, and I knew he was reminiscing. "Wanna hear about how Bianca almost got arrested?" he asked.

I laughed. "Please, do elaborate."

He smiled. "Well, this was when I was nine or ten. Our mother had made us ride our bikes to the store for some groceries. While Bianca went to go get the drinks and stuff, I wandered off to the toy aisle." He took a deep breath.

"Don't pick on me. Promise?"

I held up my pinky. "Pinky swear." Our pinkies wrapped around each other.

"Okay, I used to be obsessed with this game called Mythomagic. It's like – "

I smiled. "I used to love that game!"

He looked at me as though I were mad. "Whaaaaat?" he asked.

I laughed. "No, seriously. I loved that game. I only ever played it on the internet though, 'cause I never had anyone to challenge. Zeus was always my favorite. He had a lot of power, and I think lightning is awesome." I was bouncing in my step like a little kid. I calmed myself.

He smiled at me. "Well, Thalia Jennings, that's one more thing we have in common. Loving Mythomagic, I mean. I loved Hades."

I frowned. "Why?"

Nico smirked. "He always wore black, like me."

I laughed. "Makes perfect sense." We walked on for a few steps. "Continue your story."

"Where was I? Oh, yeah, the toy aisle. So I went to the toy aisle and I was looking at everything and pressing all of the 'try me!' buttons. Eventually, I decided I needed to go find Bianca, so I looked around in the aisles. I couldn't find her.

Finally, I just went to chill out by the door to wait for her to leave," he said. I frowned at his expression. He was smirking, and I could tell he was upset. Without thinking, I grabbed his hand and squeezed. He gave me a questioning look, but he didn't pull away.

"Well, eventually, she found me and she was freaking out because she thought I got lost. So, she started yelling at me and telling me to not get lost again. Then she hugged me and we were walking out the door when the alarms went off. Bianca was freaking out, searching for whatever set off the alarm," he smiled. "Wal-mart security came up and started searching our stuff. When they checked the bags, they found a small little figure. It was Hades, and I was the only figure I didn't have."

"She started yelling at the guards: 'For Christs' sake! I was just going to show it to my little brother. I wasn't trying to steal it! Friggin' take it back! We have to get home!'" I laughed at Nico's fake voice. "The security guards said something about how she didn't need to raise her voice, and that just pissed her off even more. She went off on a rant about how they weren't even real cops and that they couldn't arrest a minor. She even went on to explain a law to them," he laughed, remembering.

I smiled at how perfectly happy he looked. "When she was done with her speech, they just looked at her. She snapped her fingers all in their faces and threw the Hades at them. Then we turned around and left while the guards just sat there in a daze. I don't think they expected to get told by a little kid." He laughed again and I joined in.

I realized that we were still holding hands, and I was going to pull away. I didn't want to make him uncomfortable.

However, at that exact moment, he squeezed my hand, causing me to blush as I looked up at him. He smiled. "Your turn," he said.

"For what?" I asked stupidly.

He laughed. "A story!"

"Hm. I don't have any good stories," I confessed.

He nodded, understanding. "Bad childhood, I'm guessing?"

"For the most part, yeah," I told him. He squeezed my hand again, showing me that it was okay. Suddenly, I remembered something. It wasn't that great of a story, but it was something.

I grinned at him. "Wanna hear about the time I stole a limo?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Please, do elaborate," he said, copying my words from earlier.

I smiled. "Well, I guess I didn't really steal it since it belonged to my mom, but anyways…" I trailed off, realizing what I had just said.

He stopped me. "Wait, what? Your mom owns a limo?"

_Could I trust him? _Yes. _Would he look at me differently? _I hope not. _Well, Thalia, you're about to find out because the cat's already out of the bag. _I sighed.

"Thalia?" Nico asked.

"Grace," I said softly.

"Huh?" he said.

"Grace," I said louder. "My.. My name is Thalia _Grace._"

Nico blinked. "Alright. So you lied about your last name. Understandable. Your mom is… Oh, that one chick! Jazzy? Jacqueline?" He scowled, frustrated that he could remember her name.

I laughed, really happy that he didn't freak out on me. "Jasmine," I reminded him.

"Right!" he said. "And what's she do?"

I smiled from pure delight. "I'm so glad that you aren't treating me differently," I said without thinking.

He held my hand tighter, causing me to get butterflies for some reason. "Why would I? You're still Thalia, even if your last name is Jennings or Grace."

I leaned up on my tiptoes and I kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, Nico. Really."

He smiled at me and nodded even though he was blushing fiercely. I bit back a laugh. "So, you stole a limo?"

I laughed. "Oh, yeah. It was parked in front of our hotel, and I kinda kicked the driver out and stole the keys. I didn't even do anything badass though. I just took it for a joyride. I almost hit a tree though," I chuckled. "It's nothing compared to your story. I don't really have many stories from my childhood. They were mostly spent with me, myself, and I."

He gave me a sympathetic look. "Hey, at least you actually stole something! Bianca couldn't even get away with it." I started laughing and he let go of my hand. "Race you back to school?" he asked.

I shoved his shoulder and took off. "Cheater!" he called out. We raced all the way back until we made it to our cars.

"Cheater," he repeated with a glare.

I stuck my tongue out at him. "Like you would have won anyways!"

He glared at me again. "Whatever," he grumbled, opening his car door. He smiled. "Hey, wanna drive my baby?" he asked me.

My eyes widened. I bounced up and down. "Yes!" I glanced at my phone. We still had ten minutes until school let out.

He tossed me the keys and I squealed.

He laughed as he slouched into the passenger seat. I sat in the drivers' seat. I ran my hand over the dashboard and sighed dreamily. Nico smiled. "It's beautiful!" I said, putting the key in the ignition.

Nico glanced at me. "You do know how to drive, right?"

I rolled my eyes. "Duh."

I pulled out of his parking space and looked at him. "Where are we going?"

"Anywhere you want," he said.

"Let's go to… The Fast Track. It's just up the road." Nico nodded his approval and I tossed him my phone. "Can you text Annabeth and tell her I'm with you?"

He found her name in the contacts and started a message. "What do I write?"

I rolled my eyes. "Annie, I'm with Nico. Be back in ten."

He typed it quickly and pressed send. "Done. It was weird texting as a chick," he confessed.

I laughed. "Nico, this is awesome! I love this car so damn much!"

He smiled. "I see you curse for no reason when you're happy."

"You bet your ass I do! This car is awesome as hell!"

He smiled at me. "You're the only person I've ever let drive Suzie besides me."

I burst out laughing. "Suzie?" I asked.

He blushed. "It's what I call my baby," he said. "Don't pick on her name. She has feelings. She'll break down if you say harsh things. I think she likes you though," Nico told me with a serious face.

I smiled. "I just love the name Suzie," I said.

"She doesn't appreciate the sarcasm, but she'll take the compliment," Nico announced.

I chuckled and turned on the blinker to pull into the gas station. "You want anything?" I asked him.

"Yeah, let's go in," he said. I turned off the car and fidgeted with the keys as we walked in. I grabbed a Hershey's bar and a Dr. Pepper. When I walked up to the counter, I saw Nico was standing there with the same exact things.

We just laughed and the lady working the register gave us a weird look. "You're total is $5.89?" she told us, though it sounded more like a question.

I reached into my pocket for a ten, but Nico pushed my hand away. I rolled my eyes. He paid for it and handed my candy bar and drink. We went back to the car and I collapsed in the drivers' seat. I tore open my candy bar and Nico did the same. "Get candy on my seats and I will strangle you," Nico said in a light tone.

I laughed and took a sip of my drink. "Ah. Shit, I love Dr. Pepper," I said.

"Me too. It was Bianca's favorite as well. You know, you really remind me of her sometimes. I think that's why I like you so much," he said. Then he blushed, realizing what he said. "I mean, like hanging out with you. Not_like you_, like you. You know what I mean?" he asked, frowning.

I chuckled and patted his arm. "I get it, Nico. You have a crush on me."

"Right," he said. Then he blushed further and quickly amended. "N-no! I meant that I like spending time with you! I mean, as friends. Nothing more. I mean… Oh, just shut up." He looked out the window.

I reached forward and I squeezed his hand before pulling away. "It's okay, Nico. I understand," I said in a softer voice.

He turned towards me and nodded.

Honestly, I was touched that I reminded him of Bianca. I can tell that she was and still is everything to him. I can tell he cares about her every time he says her name. I finished my candy and I picked up his trash. "Be right back," I said. I jumped up from the car and I threw away our trash. I went inside and got some napkins because I had chocolate all over my hands.

I sat back in the drivers' seat and passed him some napkins. He nodded his thanks and shoved the clean napkins in his glovebox. He took the dirty ones and tossed them in the trash from the car. They made it in the trash and he punched the air. "That was awesome!" he exclaimed.

I rolled my eyes. "Showoff," I muttered. He grinned at me. I drove us back to the car and we joked the whole way to the school.

We went from the topic of the movie Aladdin to mushrooms somehow. When I pulled back into the parking lot, I saw that most people had cleared out.

I saw Annabeth's car and Percy leaning through the window talking to her. Once again, I saw her blushing and him smirking. Nico laughed. "Damn, they are in some serious denial."

I laughed. "I know, right?" I honked loudly causing Percy to jump, hitting his head on the roof of Annabeth's car. She burst out laughing and gave me a thumbs up. He blushed and rubbed his head. She continued laughing and he just stared at her and smiled.

I looked at Nico and we simultaneously rolled our eyes. I pulled into the spot next to Annabeth's car. "I drove a damn Hearse!" I announced happily. Nico smiled.

Percy glared at me. "This really hurts," he said, gesturing to the back of his head. Annabeth got out of her car and hit him on the back of his head. "OW!" he cried.

Annabeth giggled and Percy poked her in her side. They got into a tickling fight which turned into wrestling on the asphalt. "… Maybe we should just leave," Nico said. "You can drive to your house, right?"

I laughed and nodded. "Just text Annie again."

"What do I say?" he asked.

I sighed. "I got a ride from Nico since you were preoccupied. Oh, and please do add a wink."

He laughed and did as I said. "Done."

I drove the glorious Hearse all the way home. When we got there, I saw that Mrs. Christine was home. She waved from the garden and I got out of the drivers' seat and waved. I left the keys in the ignition and Nico waved to her politely.

He got out of the passenger seat and walked around to the drivers' side. "Bye, Thalia," he said. "Mall at five, right?"

I ruffled his hair. "Hell yes! Food court. See you later, Nico."

"Thalia!" he complained, fixing his hair. I rolled my eyes and walked away. Before I went inside I waved one more time.

He smiled and reversed out of the driveway. I watched my dream car till it turned the corner.

"Who's tall, dark and handsome?" asked a voice. I jumped.

"Oh, hey Mrs. Christine. Um, he's just a guy I met at school," I told her.

"Ah, well you two look like a good match," she said with a wink.

"Mrs. Christine! He's like, my best friend!" I exclaimed. I blinked. _I'm already calling him my best friend?_

"Ah, I see. Well come on, dear. I made you and Annabeth some after school food. Where is Annabeth?" Mrs. Christine asked.

I snorted. "She was wrestling with Percy when Nico just told me he'd take me home."

Mrs. Christine nodded thoughtfully. "Ah, this Percy seems to be quite the character. I've only met him once. He seems to care about Annabeth a lot," she remarked.

I nodded as I took a bite of my macaroni. "Yep. I think they like each other," I told her truthfully.

"Oh, gosh, I know! I could tell after ten minutes of watching them," she gushed.

I laughed and at the rest of my food. "Well, I've got homework," I told Mrs. Christine. She nodded. _I don't think she's so bad_, I thought.

I jogged up the stairs and I grabbed a towel. I jumped in the shower. I hummed a song and cleared my mind. I washed my hair and my face then I hopped out. I wrapped a towel around me and walked into our room.

I was immediately ambushed by a pillow. I shrieked. "What the hell was that for?" I yelled as Annabeth glared at me.

"Language!" Mrs. Christine called.

"Sorry!" I replied.

"Way to ditch me!" Annabeth cried.

"You were otherwise engaged!" I shouted, smirking at her. She blushed.

"Whatever," she grumbled. Annabeth gave me a devilish grin. "Sooooo…"

"Yes?" I asked, dreading her next words.

"What'd you do with Nico?" she asked, flopping on her stomach and looking at me. Her chin was resting in her hands.

I blushed. "Um, we went to the track for seventh period and we talked." I left out the part about us holding hands and me kissing his cheek.

"Then we raced back. I won. He asked me if I wanted to drive the Hearse, and of course I did. Then we went to the gas station and got candy and drinks, which he paid for," I told her.

"He paid for it?"

"Yes…?"

"Hm."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded.

"Oh, nothing," she said innocently. "I do believe you and Nico just had your first date," she said, laughing.

I felt my cheeks warm and I threw a pillow at her. "Stop! We're like, best friends!"

She winked at me. "Oh, like me and Percy best friends?"

I blushed. "N-no!" _Why the hell was I acting like this?_

"Uh-huh. That was convincing," she told me sarcastically.

"Annabeth…" I warned.

"Thalia…" she said, matching my tone. I collapsed on a mushroom chair.

"We don't like each other," I said firmly, though I wasn't sure how much truth there was to my statement. "I just feel like I can trust him. And I know that's crazy after like, two days, but I feel like I've known him for years," I said, telling her the honest truth.

She nodded. "That's definitely not how it happened with Percy and I," she commented.

"Oh, tell me the story!" I exclaimed.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Whatever. When we were eleven and we met, I hated him."

"Gasp!" I said, feigning surprise.

She laughed. "Yeah. Anyways, I hated him a lot. He was so unintelligent and insufferable. What am I saying? He still is," she said, chuckling. "However, we were in the same classes in junior high, and teachers always paired us together for some unknown reason. So, we started learning everything about each other. Eventually, we grew out of the hating each other stage. Now we just strongly dislike each other," she said.

"Yep. You guys flirt 24/7 and he watches you all lunch period because you strongly dislike each other," I said drily.

She blushed. "I… I don't know what we are, Thalia," she confessed.

"Well, do you like him?" I questioned her.

Annabeth opened her mouth then closed it. She shrugged. "I honestly don't know. I think I'm mistaking what I feel for him as a friend as something more."

"Well, why don't you test it?" I asked her.

She looked startled. "What?"

"Test it," I said. "Go on a date. Kiss him. See if that clears things up."

She shook her head. "Maybe another time… Oh, crap! Get up! We have to meet him at the mall!"

"Perfect!" I exclaimed. "I invited Nico! So you and Percy go do your own thing, 'kay?"

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Thalia." She went to her closet and picked out some clothes. I smiled and went to my suitcase. I put on a metallic black shirt and dark grey skinny jeans. I grabbed my straighter and went to the bathroom. I put on my heavy eyeliner and superior amounts of mascara. After some powder, I looked like Thalia. I started straightening my hair. Annabeth marched in with a purple v-neck on and a pair of capris. "Do I look ridiculous?" she asked.

"No, Annabeth, you look gorgeous!" I told her. She smiled. It was weird not seeing her in a t-shirt, but she didn't need to hide underneath baggy clothes. You could tell she was in shape.

She took her hair down and tousled her curls. She frowned for a second. "Leave it like that," I told her. "Go natural. Your hair is really pretty."

She smiled and hugged my side. "Thanks, Thals!" she said.

I checked my phone. It was already 4:33 PM. "Hey, Annie, how far away is the mall?"

"Oh, like twenty minutes. You almost ready?" she asked. I straightened my bangs quickly and turned off my straightener. I put on some chapstick.

"Yep!" I called. I ran back in the room and grabbed my wallet, stubbing my toe on my guitar case. "Damn!" I said under my breath.

"Come on, Thalia!" Annabeth yelled.

"Coming!" I shouted. I limped down the stairs. "I stubbed my toe," I explained.

"Ah," she said. She slipped on some black, comfortable looking flats. I laced up my converse. As soon as I was done, Annabeth yelled out a bye to Mrs. Christine and we jumped in her little gray car.

A song came on and Annabeth started singing off tune and loudly on purpose. I laughed at her. She quickly changed the channel after a few seconds. "Why the heck are they playing Hannah Montana on the radio?" she asked.

"Why the heck are you singing and knowing every word?" I shot back. She glared at me.

"Touché." I laughed again and she turned on a rock station. Bohemian Rhapsody came on and we jammed out. By the time we pulled up to the mall, my hair was a mess and my face was red from laughter.

We quickly fixed ourselves the best we could in the car mirrors and Annabeth grabbed her keys and her wallet. "Come on, Thals," she said happily.

We walked up to the mall, still half laughing. Suddenly, Annabeth let out a small scream. I turned, alarmed when hands covered my eyes before I could see Annabeth. I felt hot breath on my neck, making me shiver. "What's going on?" I demanded.

"Perseus Jackson, if you do not let me go _right this instant _I, Annabeth Chase, will personally break all of your bones, light you on fire, and ignite the ashes!" I heard Annabeth scream. _Ohhhh. Percy. So the person covering my eyes is…_

"Nico, damn it! Let me go!" I yelled. I heard him laugh. I tried to throw my elbow back to hit him, but he caught it. I turned around and punched him in the chest. He hardly moved. _What a jerk! He could have at least pretended it hurt. Ugh, I bet me messed up my make-up._

He laughed again and pointed behind me. I turned and saw Percy laying chest down with his arms twisted painfully behind his back. "Annabeth!" he complained. She was sitting on his back, holding his arms down.

"You jerk! I'm going to kill you!" she threatened.

"Annabeth, you look beautiful. You should wear your hair down more often," Percy said softly. _Aww, sweet._

"Wh-what?" Annabeth asked, clearly caught off guard. Percy used that to get his hands back and got out from underneath Annabeth. He stood, shot her a smile and offered his hand. She ignored it and stood up herself. She muttered something under her breath, and I doubt it was complimentary towards Percy.

"Annabeth, I still meant what I said. I just used it to my advantage so I wasn't in pain anymore," he explained. She blushed and he just smiled.

Nico nudged me. I nodded and chuckled at their exchange. "Well, see you guys later!" I said, turning on my heel. I grabbed Nico by the arm and we walked off, ignoring Annabeth asking us where we were going.

"Hot Topic?" I asked hopefully once we were inside. Nico beamed and nodded. "Where is it?" I wondered, glancing around for a mall directory.

"I know where it is," he said, taking my hand and leading me there. We turned a few corners until we went inside. He blinked and released my hand. "Wow, this place had changed. I haven't been here in forever," he said, more to himself.

We walked around the store, which was actually fairly big. I saw a Green Day t-shirt that I surprisingly didn't have yet. I found a small and I turned around to Nico. "You should get one too," I told him.

"But… It's white," he said, pouting.

I rolled my eyes. "Come on, Nico. It had their new album logo on it!"

He glanced down at the shirt and blinked. "That actually looks pretty badass," he said. I laughed.

"What size?" I asked him. He shrugged. I held up a medium to him. "Nope," I said, picking up a large. I held it up to him and it was perfect.

He frowned. "I feel fat getting a large," he said. I rolled my eyes.

"Come on, Nico, it's just 'cause you're all muscular and manly," I said.

He smirked. "I'm muscular? Hm. I'm flattered that you checked me out," he said thoughtfully.

I punched him and more likely than not blushed. "Whatever. Just come on."

We went and paid for our shirts, and I put down my cash before he could pay for me too. He rolled his eyes at me and grabbed his receipt. I stuffed mine in my wallet and grabbed my bag. I put both of our shirts in one bag and we started walking again.

"Thalia, I'm starving," Nico announced.

I laughed. "Me too. Come on, let's go get Chinese."

He grinned. "That's my favorite!"

I smiled and we went to go stand in line.

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	7. Chapter VI - Nico

Summary: Thalia's mother doesn't exactly care and Nico isn't exactly okay. When Thalia moves to San Francisco, she gets new friends, a loving family, and, who knows? She might even fall in love if she's lucky. Two darkened pasts; can they find solace in one another?

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the Heroes of Olympus series, or any characters I have adopted for this fanfiction. Harry and Clint and Stan are mine._

Chapter VI

;;;

I felt my face break into a grin. "That's my favorite!" I told her. She smiled at me. We had so much in common it was creepy. We walked over to the line together and the woman asked us what we wanted.

"Orange chicken and fried rice, no onions," I told her. I hate onions.

"Same thing," Thalia announced. I smiled at her. Yet another thing in common. We waited for our food and bought two drinks. We found a table for four and Thalia took out her phone and called Annabeth.

"Hey!" she said into the phone. Her jaw dropped. "Oh, never mind. Uh, yeah. See you later. Bye." She ended the call and dove into her food. She noticed I was staring at her. "What? You're starting to act like Percy, you know. Staring at your best friend while she eats and all," she said with a smirk.

I blushed. "That's _so _not why I'm staring at you! I was waiting for you to tell me what Annabeth said."

She smiled. "Ah, I see. Well, she told me that she was with Percy. But the way she said his name made me think they were doing something. So I decided to hang up," Thalia said. "Of course, I could have been wrong."

I smirked at her. "I doubt you were," I said, taking a bite of my food. She laughed and flicked rice at me. "You. Did. Not."

"Oh, but I did," she said innocently. I flicked rice back, and she flicked a pea at me. I made a horrible face. Peas are the devil. She burst out laughing. "Oh my gosh, your face!" she said, laughing.

"Shut up, I hate peas," I said grumpily.

Thalia smiled. "You act like a little kid when it comes to food," she commented.

"You should be talking! I can't help that I love Little Debbie cakes! You said you did too!" I replied defiantly.

She grinned. "I could eat Fudge Rounds for the rest of my life!"

"Zebra Cakes," I said wistfully.

"Those are pretty good too. I don't like Oatmeal Crème Pies. Actually, I hate oatmeal. The texture is repulsive," she said, making a face.

"Oh, I know. Oatmeal Crème Pies are for old people," I told her.

Thalia laughed. "Agreed. So, Nico, what's your favorite cereal? I want to know if we have anything else in common."

I smiled. "Yeah, we do seem to have a hell of a lot in common," I said. "But my favorite cereal is Lucky Charms. I just love those marshmallows." I chuckled.

She gave me a wary look. "Nico, this is getting creepy. Lucky Charms are my favorite too," Thalia said.

I grinned at her. "This is getting weird, I agree."

We finished our food carrying on conversations until Thalia made a suggestion.

"Hey, let's go drive our Hearse!" she suggested. I raised an eyebrow, but I smiled. _Our Hearse._

"Who's driving?" I asked, searching for the keys. I heard and jingling noise.

"I am," Thalia said in a singsong voice, already holding the keys.

"Hey, how'd you get those?" I asked her.

She rolled her eyes. "I reached in your jacket pocket and I got them. You didn't even notice!" She stuck her tongue out.

"Whatever, Grace," I grumbled. She stood up and raced for the door.

"Beat you there!" she called over her shoulder. I rolled my eyes and tossed our trash. She was probably already at the car by now. I picked up our bag of shirts.

I walked to the door leisurely and as soon as I stepped outside, I was ambushed. I about fell over in surprise, but after I heard Thalia laughing, I realized it was her who jumped on my back. I held her in place so that I was giving her a piggy back ride and I carried her all the way to the car.

"Nico, put me down!" she protested.

"Well, you shouldn't have jumped on _my _back!" I replied. I could see her glaring at me. She had put her head over my shoulder. Her glares don't really bother me much.

"Nico, please! People are staring!" Thalia yelled in my ear.

"So what? Let them stare. What's wrong with a macho guy carrying his loud ass best friend on his back?" I asked her with a smirk.

"Nico…" she warned.

"Thalia…" I said, matching her exact tone. She glared at me again. She wrapped her arms tighter around me and turned her head so that her nose was touching my neck.

"You know, this is actually really comfortable," she whispers, causing me to shiver. She laughed and kissed my neck. I blushed and cleared my throat as butterflies filled my stomach. She kissed my neck again, for longer this time, causing my face to warm even more. I couldn't think while she was doing that. "Nico, put me down, please," she said softly.

I almost did until I realized what she was doing. "Thalia! Stop!"

"What?" she asked innocently.

I gave her a look that told her I wasn't buying it. "I know you're screwing with my emotions, Grace," I grumbled.

"Who said I didn't kiss your neck purely because I wanted to?" Thalia asked. I was at a loss for words. _Was she serious?_

"Uh…" I said brilliantly.

Thalia laughed. "Hm, I guess you'll never know," she said smugly. _Oh, whatever! She was probably kidding anyways. Right?_

We finally arrived at the Hearse after much staring from people thinking we were crazy. I sat Thalia down on the hood of the car and she grumbled at me. I tossed the bag on the hood next to Thalia. I turned around so that I was facing her. I was aware that we were pretty close.

She smiled at me sweetly. "Thanks for the lift," she said.

I grinned and laughed. "Oh, you're welcome. But just so you know, it's your fault everyone stared at us."

Thalia raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

I rolled my eyes. "Well, first of all, one second, you'd be yelling at me, then you'd kiss my neck, which made you look not only bipolar, but crazy. And second of all, you yell _loud, _drawing more attention to us."

She smiled evilly. "I was surprised you didn't give in to my temptation," Thalia said.

I just looked at her, thinking that her eyes were pretty. "Who said it was easy?" I asked, the words escaping before I could stop them.

She looked shocked for a second, then she gave me a beautiful smile. She leaned closer to me and my heart started beating out of my chest. I leaned forward too. I could feel her breath on my lips. Just as we were about to close the small gap between us, we heard someone yell out our names. I jumped and pulled away from her, clearing my throat. I shot her a look, confused. _What just happened?_

She bit her lip for a second, looking a little puzzled as well. It made her look really gorgeous. Just as I was getting lost in her eyes again, I heard our names being called once again.

I finally turned around, tearing my eyes from Thalia's. "Yes?" I asked. Then I saw Percy and Annabeth walking towards us. Once they got closer, Percy pulled their hands from behind his back. They were intertwined.

"It's about time!" I said, grinning at both of them. Thalia smiled and hugged Annabeth. Percy was just staring at Annabeth with a smile on his face.

Annabeth rolled her eyes and punched him. "Okay, just because we kissed it really doesn't give you the right to stare at me!" she said, faking annoyance. It would have been believable if she wasn't smiling huge while she said it.

He laughed. "Whatever, Wise Girl. I'm still going to do it anyways," he said. He winked at her and then kissed her on the lips softly. I shifted uncomfortably, remembering what had just happened between Thalia and I. "Hey, Nico, Thalia. Where'd you guys go when you left us earlier?"

I sat next to Thalia and lifted up the bag. "Hot Topic. Then we went to the food court. We called you, but you guys were preoccupied," I said, watching them blush. I chuckled. "After that, Thalia surprise attacked me and jumped on my back. And now we're here," I told them, leaving out all the parts about Thalia making my knees weak by kissing my neck and almost my lips.

"Oh," Percy said stupidly. Thalia and Annabeth rolled their eyes in unison. I laughed. "Hey, Annabeth, my mom should be home from work. You want to go tell her?" he asked, looking like an eager little kid.

Annabeth laughed. "Of course, Percy. Thalia, do you think you could get a ride home? I would offer to let you drive my car, but I think Christine would get angry," Annabeth said.

Thalia looked at me hesitantly. I sighed dramatically. "If I must."

Thalia punched my arm. "Shut up, di Angelo," she grumbled.

"Yeah, I'll give her a ride home," I said. "And congratulations, you guys. We've been waiting for you guys to make out for like six years," I said.

I got a whole bunch of blushing from Annabeth and Percy and a punch from Thalia. "Leave the happy couple alone, Nico," she said. "Bye you guys, see you later Annie!" Thalia jumped off the hood of the car as the new couple walked away. She jangled the keys. "Hop in, di Angelo. I'm driving our car today," Thalia said smugly.

"Our car? Hm."

"Got something to say, di Angelo?" she asked.

"Nothing. I just like the sound of that," I said, without thinking.

"The sound of what?" Thalia asked, smiling. I knew she knew, she just wanted to hear me say it.

I got in the passenger seat with the bag. "Our car," I said, knowing I couldn't lie.

She beamed at me and started up the car. I thought I heard her say, "Me too", but I shrugged it off. She turned up the radio and looked at me. "Where am I going?" she yelled over the sound.

"To your house?" I asked. She shook her head.

"I don't want to go home," Thalia told me.

"My place?" I offered. She grinned and nodded. "Turn right at the end of this road. Follow it past the school. Turn right again at the football field. Follow that road for a while. There will be two stop lights. And then I'll point out my building, okay?"

She looked determined as she memorized the directions. "Alright-y!" she said. We drove without talking, just listening to the music until she switched off the radio.

"Let's talk," she said, taking a right.

"About?" I asked her.

"Something. Anything. I just feel like talking," Thalia said. I thought about it. What was left to talk about? I feel like we already knew pretty much everything about each other. I didn't want to talk about how I had almost kissed her. The only thing she didn't know is that I used to be a popular kid, liked by many, envied by all. And she still doesn't know that

I used to cut myself. But I am not telling her that. Not yet.

I looked at her, trying to decide if I could tell her about my past life. I sighed. _Here goes nothing. _"Well, I don't know if you'll believe me, but…" I trailed off.

Thalia got a worried look and touched my arm. "Nico, what is it?"

I shook my head. "Well, believe it or not, I used to be a popular jock. I went to parties all the time, and everyone was my friend."

She gave me a sad look. "Everyone ditched you?" she asked in a small voice.

I nodded. "Right after…" I couldn't say it. I felt like I was tearing open the scars on my arms again. She grabbed my hand and tightened her grip, letting me know she understood. I felt my eyes sting, but I blinked it away.

We rode the rest of the way home in silence, and she didn't complain. She didn't let go of my hand, and I was glad for the comfort. I was lost in thought, wondering if we were ever going to talk about the almost kiss, when she said my name, shattering the silence. "Nico?"

"Yes?" I asked, barely above a whisper.

"Which one's your building?" she asked. I pointed to a dark grey building just a few blocks ahead. She nodded and squeezed my hand. "Are you okay?" she asked me. I nodded mutely.

That night, we watched every horror movie I owned. We didn't talk about Bianca or what had happened that day. We were just two friends, devouring popcorn and watching movies. When it got really late, I took her home. Thalia asked me if I could pick her up for school in the morning. I agreed and she thanked me and went inside. I drove home, thinking about Bianca.

I really missed her, but I could feel myself healing slowly the more I talked about it. It was as if the wound ripped open again, then they healed four times as fast. Thalia was saving my life, so to speak.

I thought about how we were so close to kissing that afternoon. "Forget about it, Nico. Absolutely erase it from your memory. It'll just make things awkward," I said, coaching myself.

Finally, I pulled up to my apartment. Once I got through my door, I saw that Thalia had left her clothes here, since I had let her borrow some sweatpants and one of my shirts. I folded them and put them on the counter so that I'd remember to grab them tomorrow.

I went into my room and switched off my light. I tossed my shirt to the ground and collapsed in bed. I rubbed my hands over my face. No matter how hard I tried, I kept remembering how I could feel Thalia's breath on my lips. I kept remembering her soft lips on my neck.

Honestly, it was starting to get annoying how much I was thinking about it. I found my iPod in my drawer and put my earphones in. I turned it all the way up and cleared my head. Within minutes, I was sleeping.

* * *

Bianca visited my dreams briefly that night. I was holding an impossibly black sword and walking around the black field again. The clouds that I decided had to be spirits jumped away from my sword. When I reached the tree this time, I saw Bianca again. However, her smoky figure was even more faded. She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, Nico, you've got it bad," she said with a devilish grin.

I know I blushed. "B, we're just friends."

"Uh-huh. That's some close friendship right there," she said with a wink. She started fading even more and she frowned. "Nico, I have to go. I-I love you. I hope to see you soon, but if I don't just know that I love you."

I felt immensely sad. "Uh, alright. Bye, Bianca. See you soon." She gave me and unconvincing smile, and then she turned back into a spirit cloud thing.

I sighed as the scene shifted. Now, I was in my living room with Thalia. We were watching a scary movie and she squeaked like a mouse at the scary part. I laughed at her and she punched me. I started tickling her, then one way or another; she ended up on top of me, holding my hands down.

We stared at each other in silence, and I leaned a little closer to her as her eyes fluttered shut. The dream went black.

* * *

I woke up with a start. _Well, that's annoying, _I thought, peeved that I didn't finish the dream. I turned off my alarm clock and moped to the bathroom. I took a boiling hot shower, which woke me up. I wrapped a towel around my waist and I brushed my teeth.

I went to my closet and threw on the first things I picked up. I was wearing a black graphic tee with dark wash jeans. I frowned at my reflection and I changed my outfit. I put on a black sweater and grey skinny jeans, and scowled again.

Finally, I spotted the Hot Topic bag thrown in the corner of my room. I dug out my shirt and tossed it on. It actually fit really nicely. I left on my grey skinny jeans and I put on my leather jacket. I shoved my phone and my wallet in my pockets.

I went to the kitchen and chugged a glass of milk. I wasn't hungry, so I tossed my dish in the sink and mouth washed. I picked brought out my phone and texted Thalia, telling her that I'd be there in twenty minutes. She texted back and said, "'Kay!"

I grinned for no apparent reason and picked up my binder and her clothes. I slid my keys off their hook and I was out the door. I drove in silence to Thalia's house. Normally, I'd crank up my music and shut the world out. Lately, I'd been rolling down my windows and enjoying the little things, like the sound of people talking and cark honking impatiently.

I pulled up at Thalia's house and she stepped out the door. I think my jaw dropped. Her hair was in a carelessly beautiful bun and she didn't have on a trace of make-up. She looked gorgeous as ever, though. She was wearing her usual skinny jeans and converse along with a graphic tee.

When she got into the car, she sighed heavily and leaned her head back. "Do NOT look at me," she ordered.

I gave her a weird look, even though she had turned her face the opposite way. "Why?"

"Because I look terrible. I lost my damn make-up and my hair is not cooperating today," she said. Thalia groaned out loud. "I look like shit."

I looked at her and turned her face towards me. She tried to avoid my stare, but eventually she looked me in the eye. "Thalia, you look gorgeous," I told her softly. "So stop worrying, okay?"

She rolled her eyes and blushed. "You have to say that, you're my best friend," she grumbled.

I laughed. "Oh, Thalia," I said.

"What?" she demanded.

I just shook my head. "You have no idea how beautiful you are, do you?" I asked her, meeting her gaze head-on. _Wow, Nico. You're being daring today._

She blushed again, and turned her face to hide her smile. I saw it though. I chuckled. "Hey, you left your clothes at my house, they're in my backseat. Don't let me forget to give them back to you after school, okay?"

She nodded. "Nico?" she asked hesitantly.

"Mhm?"

"Can I… I mean, would it be alright if… If I came to your house again?" she asked me quietly. I grinned and squeezed her hand.

"You're welcome there anytime, Thalia. Honestly, I get lonely. I don't mind having a friend to watch thousands of scary movies with," I said, hearing the smile in my voice.

She squeezed my hand back then pulled away. She flipped down the mirror and was about to criticize her reflection. Before she could even look in the mirror, I flipped it closed.

"Nope," I said simply. She sighed heavily started going through my glove box. All that was in there were some napkins, the registration and manual, and a ton of CDs. She picked up a stack and started examining them.

She mostly made sounds of approval, but when she passed by a Nickelback CD, she frowned. "What?" I asked.

"I don't like them…" she trailed off.

I fake-gasped. "Oh my gosh, we don't have something in common for once!" She punched my arm and frowned at the CD again. I rolled my eyes.

We finally pulled up into the school parking lot and spotted Percy and Annabeth leaning up against his car. He was smiling stupidly at her as she read a thick book. I sighed as me and Thalia walked through the doors, preparing for another boring, normal day at school.

* * *

Weeks passed. Thalia and I were inseparable. Percy and Annabeth were still our best friends, but we did our own thing.

One day, when Thalia and I were cutting class in my car, I decided to ask her a question. Her head was on the pillow that was resting in my lap, and she had a blanket pulled up around her. I was playing with her hair absently.

"Hey, Nico?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we just go to your apartment and forget about school for today?" Thalia asked me. I grinned.

"Sure thing." She sat up straight and grabbed the pillow from my lap, placing it in hers. She gestured for me to drive and I chuckled.

We drove with the radio playing quietly until "You're My Best Friend" by Queen came on. Thalia squealed and turned it all the way up.

"I LOVE QUEEN!" she announced. She sang every word to the song horribly off pitch, but I could tell she was doing it on purpose. She pointed at me occasionally and acted out the song. I was laughing at her and smiling at the faces she was making. I joined her in singing on the last chorus.

"Oooh, you're making me live, ooh, you're my best friend!" we yelled, belting out the last parts of the song. By the time the song ended, I was nearly hysterical. Thalia could make some interesting facials.

"That is officially our song," she announced. I grinned and agreed. Just as we were pulling up to my apartment, a song by Nickelback came on and Thalia shouted in horror. She smacked the radio to make it shut up and I laughed at her again.

She sighed in relief at not having to hear it. Thalia jumped out of the car and snatched the keys out of my hand. She made a run for it, determined to beat me to the door. I finally caught up with her, and I grabbed her by the waist, pulling her up short. However, I grabbed her with such force that she ended up slamming me up against the wall. Her face was merely inches in front of mine. As if it were reflex, I leaned in. She closed her eyes. Our lips were about a centimeter apart before her phone's ringtone shattered the silence.

She sighed loudly and checked it. "Annabeth," she muttered, answering her text. I stayed put and watched her. Finally, she put her phone back in her pocket. We walked inside without a word. As soon as I shut the door behind us, Thalia turned around and put her hands on her face.

"Nico, what's going on?" she asked me, not looking at me.

I instantly knew what she was talking about. _Us. _I suddenly felt really annoyed, frustrated with what I was feeling. "How the hell should I know, Thalia? I don't know a damn thing anymore! Everything was so easy before I met you! I'd wake up, and go to school. Everyone ignored me. No second thoughts. I don't know why I check my outfit twenty damn times before I can walk out the door now! I don't know why the hell I keep almost kissing you! I don't know why the hell every time you walk out the damn door or get out of my car I worry! The only person I'm used to missing is Bianca. Every time I turn around, I find myself missing your laugh, your smile, or just… you!" She looked at me stunned. I hardly ever yelled around her. I sighed and ran my hands though my hair. "Thalia, I'm sorry. I'm just… confused. I didn't mean it."

She suddenly found her feet more interesting. "Nico, I-I just don't understand. If it bothers you so much to have me around, maybe I should just leave – "

"No!" I yelled, cutting her off. I felt a pain in my chest. "Thalia, no," I said, barely above a whisper. "Please." I reached forward and grasped her soft hands. I intertwined them with my rough ones. "Thalia, I… I can't live without you. You mean so much to me. You're my best friend. I just misspoke. I didn't mean that."

She nodded, averting her gaze to the window and I pulled her in for a hug. She hugged me back, and we stood there clinging to each other. I buried my face in her hair, loving the soapy scent.

I ran my fingers through her hair and she chuckled. "What?" I asked.

She gave a small laugh. "Do you really check your outfit twenty times before you leave to see me?"

I felt my cheeks warm, but I smiled. "'Course I do, Thals. Gotta look good for you, don't I?"

Thalia laughed for a moment, then got serious. "Do you really worry about me? And miss me when I'm gone?"

I took a deep breath and pulled her close. "Always, Thalia. All the time," I said into her hair.

She kissed my shoulder lightly as a reassurance and a thank you. I pulled back. "I'm sorry about all that," I said.

Thalia just shrugged. "S'okay. Wanna watch a scary movie?"

;;;


	8. Chapter VII - Thalia

_Summary: Thalia's mother doesn't exactly care and Nico isn't exactly okay. When Thalia moves to San Francisco, she gets new friends, a loving family, and, who knows? She might even fall in love if she's lucky. Two darkened pasts; can they find solace in one another?_

Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or characters I adopt from those books. Merely the characterization and plot are mine.

Chapter VII; Thalia

;;;

I groaned out loud as I tried desperately to go to sleep. I was in my bottom bunk at Annabeth's house – well, I guess it's mine now too. Back to my original problem. I could sum up the reason as to why I couldn't slumber in two words: Nico di Angelo.

My best friend. Pretty much the one constant variable in my life. The only guy I've ever trusted as much as I trust him. The only guy I've ever let see the vulnerability past my impossible-to-crack shell.

I cared about Nico more than I wanted to admit. I had thought it was just because we're so close. However, due to recent events, my mind has been thinking nonstop about if it's because I actually like him. As in _like him,_like him. I kept replaying the two almost kisses we shared. I remember my mind going blank, each time. I remember closing my eyes and waiting, my heart beating out of my chest.

But most of all, I remember getting interrupted, each time. And damn, was it annoying. After that, I would act like nothing happened because I didn't want to pressure him into something. I felt as though making the wrong move could be crucial.

It was a very intense game of chess. We finally get each other in check, then just as we're about to win with a checkmate, one of us moves. Something happens. And then we spend the rest of the game dodging each other, determined to not get in check again.

It just kept happening. Moments kept passing us by, where it would be the perfect time to finally end the game of chess. But we're both too scared to take a risk, in fear of hurting each other. We were in the continuous loop of getting in check, then dodging each other. I wanted it to stop.

So when I finally asked him, he blew up on me. What he said hurt me. He had pretty much told me it was a mistake to have me in his life. I know he was angry, and that he didn't mean any of it besides the sweet parts. Like how he missed me all the time, and how he checked his outfit before leaving.

I smiled to myself. I had desperately wanted to kiss him and punch him square in the jaw when he had said that. I checked my phone and saw that it was 3 AM. I knew Nico had insomnia sometimes. It was because of all the traumatic events in his life. His parent leaving him to die, his sister's passing. I knew there was more to the story, and I wanted to know. I wanted to help.

As a split second decision, I decided to text the one person that was consuming the majority of my train of thought.

**Are you up? -Thalia** I typed. As soon as I pressed send, I slapped my forehead in exasperation. I was being so impulsive lately. I didn't even think twice about my actions.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed. I opened the text. Nico.

_Yeah. I had a nightmare. Why are you up? –Nico_. I sighed and answered as truthfully as possible.

**I'm just thinking too much. –Thalia**

_Want me to take your mind off of it? –Nico._ I snorted. Jeez, like that'd happen. I'd just think about him more. I read it again and blinked. Wow, his message sounded almost flirtatious. Well, alright. I'll bite.

**God, yes. –Thalia**

_Haha. Meet me outside in ten minutes. See you soon. –Nico_

**Sneaking out? Hmmm, sounds fun. See ya. –Thalia**

I got out of bed quietly and snatched up a bag from the corner. I put all the clothes I would need for today and tomorrow in there. I added in a toothbrush and two packages of M & M's from my secret stash. I scribbled a note for Annabeth.

_Dear Annie: I couldn't sleep so I went to Nico's. No, it's not for what you think. And stop raising an eyebrow, because I know you are. Anyways, please tell Christine a beautiful lie you can pull from your beautiful head. I'll be back soon. –T_

I put the note underneath her pillow; hidden from Christine and knowing that she'd make her bed in the morning and notice it. I was wearing a pair of Nico's sweatpants and one of my many Green Day shirts. I swung the backpack over my shoulder and opened our window smoothly. Mr. Chase stayed up late working most times, so I decided against leaving through the front door. I got myself out the window and stepped out onto the balcony. As cliché as it was, there was a tree that was in perfect reach for me to climb down to the ground.

After I had maneuvered my way down the tree, I straightened my clothes and ran my fingers through my hair in an attempt to look presentable. I walked to the front of the house just as our Hearse pulled up a house or two away. Huh. That was probably a good idea considering that Mr. Chase was probably up and would easily hear the engine. I broke into a grin, feeling the adrenaline from sneaking out.

I went around to the drivers' side to beg for the keys, but Nico was already out of the car, smirking at me. He was wearing a long sleeve black shirt and basketball shorts. I raised an eyebrow, taking in his appearance. _Nico di Angelo never wears shorts._

"What? I was lounging," he explained. I laughed and ruffled his hair, getting a glare from him. I got into the driver's seat and started her up.

"Hey, Suzie," I cooed. Nico got in next to me, still looking upset about his hair. I patted his cheek twice. "You'll live, Nico," I told him. He rolled his eyes.

"So, where do you wanna go?" he asked, changing the subject. I tossed him my backpack and he put it on the floorboard.

"Hm, I don't care," I said truthfully. "Why don't we just have a scary movie night?"

He grinned. "Hell yes! Drive, now," he ordered. I rolled my eyes and laughed. I started the journey to his apartment. I turned on the radio and heard a familiar tune. I started humming quietly when Nico blurted out a question.

"Thalia, when can I hear you sing?" he asked. I felt my hands tighten around the wheel and I sighed. "Come on, Thalia! You promised you would! I kept up my end of the deal; you drive the Hearse all the time."

_Crap. He's right. _At that exact moment, the radio announced that they were going to play the song Thunder by Boys Like Girls. I knew every word due to my obsession with Boys Like Girls a few years back. I looked at him and motioned to the radio, telling him that now would be the time.

I harmonized with the lead singer as I continued to drive. I was really nervous, and I was forcing myself to not look at Nico. As much as I didn't want to admit it, I was afraid of his reaction. "_Your voice was the soundtrack of my summer. Do you know you're unlike any other? You'll always be my thunder. And I said, your eyes are the brightest of all the colors. I don't wanna ever love another, you'll always be my thunder,_" I sang along.

I hit all of the notes perfectly and I tried to ignore how sweaty my hands were. The song was timed just right, ending as we pulled up to his apartment. I averted my eyes out the window, still nervous about what Nico's reaction would be. The radio was eerily loud in our harsh silence.

"Damn, that was incredible!" Nico exclaimed. I turned to face him and saw that he was beaming at me. He turned off the radio. "Thalia, your voice is amazing. I can't believe you were holding out on me."

I blushed at his compliments. No one had ever told me that my voice was good, but I knew I wasn't terrible. I just never thought that I was that great. I smiled at him. "Thanks, Nico." He grabbed my hand and squeezed. It was moments like these that I cherished. Him holding my hand in the most comfortable silences. I closed my eyes, taking it in. I opened my eyes again to see Nico studying me. He had a slight smile on his face, but I could tell by his eyes that he was happy.

I squeezed his hand. "Come on, Nico, let's watch a badass movie," I said.

He put on a devilish grin. "Race you!" Nico jumped up out of his seat with my backpack over his shoulder and he dashed to his apartment. I laughed and turned off the car. With the keys in hand, I ran after him.

When I entered his apartment, he was collapsed in a chair. My backpack was on the couch as well as his binders from school. I chuckled and pulled him up. "Come on, I want a sandwich," I told him.

I walked to the kitchen and Nico filed in soon after me. We went about our routine of making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I got the bread, knives and plates; he got the peanut butter, jelly, and Little Debbie cakes. He knew that Fudge Rounds were my favorite, so he got me one out. Nico also got a Zebra Cake, which were his favorite.

I grabbed a piece of bread and spread the jelly as he spread the peanut butter on another piece. He'd hand me it when he was done, and then we'd have a whole sandwich. We'd made up this routine once on a three day weekend where all four of us had crashed at his place. When we woke up, we were all starving, so Percy and Annabeth made tea and Kool-Aid while Nico and I had mastered the art of sandwich making.

We worked in a comfortable silence until we had made four sandwiches. He placed my Fudge Round on my plate as I reached into the cabinet for two glasses. Unfortunately, the glass I decided to grab had a chip in it. I nicked my thumb and blood started flowing from the small wound. I winced. "Damn!" I said.

Nico turned to me with an alarmed expression. "What happened?" he asked, worried.

I laughed. "Nico, it's fine. I just cut myself," I told him. He paled.

"What?" he asked in a weak voice.

"The cup had a chip in it. It sliced my thumb. It's really nothing more than a paper cut…" I said, trailing off when I looked down at my thumb which was now pouring blood. I looked for a rag, a paper towel, something, but there was nothing in the kitchen. Nico took off his long-sleeve black shirt and tossed it at me while I tried – and failed, might I add – to not look at his body.

Nico had nice muscles and I felt myself flush. He still looked really pale at seeing all the blood. He searched for his first aid kit and finally found it. He walked over to me and I felt myself blush again because I was right in front of his chest. He didn't even notice that it was affecting me and the brought out all of the necessary things for cuts.

He worked as though he already had a method for this. _How often did he get cut by glasses? _He turned on lukewarm water and placed my thumb underneath it. I realized that the cut was deeper than I thought as I saw the water clear the blood away.

Nico paled even more, if that was possible and kept giving me sideways glances as though he were expecting me to blow up on him. After he rinsed my hand free of blood, he brought out a small bottle of peroxide and poured over my thumb. I sucked in a sharp breath and Nico winced as though it had caused him physical pain. He brought out a cotton ball and dabbed it in rubbing alcohol.

He grabbed my hand that wasn't injured. He looked at me. "This is about to hurt like hell, so feel free to squeeze the life out of my hand, okay?" I rolled my eyes at his dramatics, but I held his hand nonetheless.

Nico put the alcohol soaked cotton ball on my cut and I felt searing pain. I'm pretty sure I cut off his circulation. After a moment, the pain subsided and I relaxed. He released my hand and went back to work on my cut.

He pulled out a small tube of medication. "It's so that it won't leave bad scars," Nico explained. _Why did he have all of this stuff?_ He gave me another sideways glance and he put the medication on my thumb. After that, he took out a Band-Aid and wrapped it around my thumb.

After that, he packed up all of his supplies. "Nico, why do you have all of that stuff? Like, stuff specifically for cuts and scars?" He looked at me and opened his mouth, then closed it. He looked down.

"I…" He looked up at me and I saw such regret, pain, and sadness in his eyes that I suddenly felt like hugging him. "I'll be right back," he said quickly.

He went to his room and came back out with a black sweater on. "Nico, you and I both know it's hot as hell outside."

Nico glanced at me and looked a little… guilty? "I know, I just… get cold easily."

I frowned at him, and gave him a look that clearly said I didn't believe him. It was a bad lie. "Nico, seriously. What's up?" I asked him firmly.

Nico bowed his head. "Nothing, Thals. Come on, let's – " I cut him off my grabbing his arm, just above his wrist. He winced. _Why?_

"Nico, tell me, now," I ordered him softly. I could tell there was something up.

"Thalia…" he whispered. He shook his head and I thought I saw tears in his eyes, but he blinked them away quickly. When he finally looked me in the eye, I saw so much hurting in them that I wrapped my arms around him. He stiffened, but relaxed into me soon. I knew he wasn't used to hugs, much less mine.

"Nico, please. Tell me," I said quietly. I wondered if it had something to do with Bianca. He just stared at me.

That's when I saw Nico di Angelo, the guy who was my best friend, cry for the first time.

It started out with silent tears that he wiped away. I pulled him in for another hug and I heard his breathing become more rapid. I heard him start sobbing, horrible gut-wrenching tears. I know that most of you think it's very unmanly to cry. I agree with you. But look me in the eye and tell me that if your sister – who was basically your mom and your best friend – died you wouldn't shed a single tear. That's what I thought.

I'd seen him be on the verge of tears, but I'd never seen him cry.

And I hated it.

Usually, he was my rock, comforting me when I was upset. I felt him start shaking and I decided that he needed to lie down. I took him to his room since we had thrown all of our stuff on the couch.

When we got there, I brought him to his bed and I made him lay down. He was still crying, but it wasn't as bad as before. I had heard of people whose close family had died. They break down at random moments and the tears are really difficult to stop. They just keep remembering reasons to cry, memories with their loved ones.

I laid down next time him and I hugged his side. I put my head on his chest and he pulled me closer to him.

That's when I saw his arms.

His sleeve had been rolled up a bit in the process of moving him from the kitchen to the bed. At first, I really couldn't comprehend what I was seeing. There were just a lot of small slits of pink, white, or reddish-brown.

Then it hit me. Why he had all the necessary things to heal cuts. Why he had freaked out over my phrasing of 'I cut myself'. Why he always wore long sleeve shirts.

I felt tears spring to my eyes. _Nico cuts himself. _I looked up at him, and I gave him a look that told him I knew. This just made both of us cry harder. I leaned closer to him. I had heard his whole story, and I knew how devastatingly sad it was. In no way could I relate to his sadness, but I still felt sympathetic. I would honestly rather rot and die that watch Nico's tears fall.

So, maybe that's why I did something that surprised me as well as him.

I turned to that we were face-to-face. I could see his tear filled eyes with such clarity it was distracting. I could feel his hot breath on my face. And, boy was I aware of our close proximity. Before I could talk myself out of it, I leaned forward and I kissed him softly. I just wanted to take his pain away. No one deserved to have that much.

I had meant to pull away quickly, but I really wasn't expecting that kissing my best friend would be as amazing as it was. I heard his breath catch, but he instantly kissed me back, sending my stomach on a roller coaster. I felt my mind go cloudy; I couldn't think of anything with how close we were. I moved my hands to his chest and he put a hand on the side of my face, deepening the kiss.

I finally ran out of air and I pulled away. _Shit shit shit. I had only meant for that to be a sympathy kiss. But, since he kissed me back…_

When I met his eyes, I saw that he had stopped crying, and the only evidence that he had been were my memories and the tear tracts on his face. I was searching his face for any response to what had just happened. I was beginning to get worried until he finally smirked at me before leaning into me again.

As it registered in my head that we were about to kiss again, I felt my heart pick up speed. When he crashed his lips on mine once again, I could tell that my heart beat even faster which was practically impossible at that moment. When he kissed me, it wasn't a comfort kiss. When Nico kissed me, I felt my head start spinning at his intensity. He was kissing me with hunger, but not like a manwhore. It was more like I couldn't get enough of me. I smiled at the thought of that. There were no awkward moments as though we had been kissing each other for years. I knew exactly which way to move my head or my hands. So, this is what I had been missing with those two almost kisses.

He had wrapped my hair around his fingers as I balled up his shirt in my hands. It was ridiculous how right it felt to kiss my best friend. I had always known that Nico was cute – hot actually. I knew that he was sensitive and caring. I think the fact that he actually kissed me back made our kisses a thousand times better.

I felt him smile against my lips and I did the same. I hadn't really expected this to happen, but I was so glad it did. He positioned himself so that he was over me, but resting on his elbows. He pulled back and stroked my face. I could feel myself getting lost in his dark eyes, and he asked me a silent question: _What was that?_

I bit my lip, which I guess was all too much for him because he leaned down to kiss me again, surprising me. I put my hands under his shirt so I could feel his bare chest. He shivered at my touch and I chuckled, not breaking the kiss. As much as I knew I should, I couldn't pull away from him.

He started to caress my neck and I was my turn to shiver. Finally, with much force, I flipped our position so that I was basically straddling him. I sat straight up and kept my hands on his chest. We were both out of breath and breathing heavily. I knew my face was flushed, and his was, too. He sighed contently and pulled himself up into a sitting position so that my legs were wrapped around him as I sat in his lap. He looked at me with such warmth that I blushed and dropped my gaze. He put a finger under my chin and lifted it so that I was forced to look him in the eye.

"Thalia, what was that?" he whispered softly. I blushed fiercely and I shook my head. I know he kissed me back, but I was still afraid of rejection. What if it was just because he was emotionally distraught? What if it was just because I was the first girl in reach?

I inwardly rolled my eyes at myself. I know Nico's not like that. "Thalia, I know what you're thinking. I'm not going to reject you. I'm actually enthusiastically accepting you," he said with a smirk. "I just want to know where this leaves us. I… I know I like you. Quite a lot actually. Anyone who didn't would be off their rocker."

I laughed at his saying and he smiled. "I love your laugh," he told me bluntly. He instantly blushed. "Did I say that out loud?" Nico asked in a small voice.

I smiled. "Yes, yes you did." I leaned forward and I kissed him on the cheek. "And I think I like you a lot, too. Actually, I _know_ I like you a lot. I about exploded when you had your shirt off earlier," I said without thinking. He laughed as I blushed the color of tomatoes.

Nico tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. "Thalia Grace, will you do me the honor of being my beautiful and amazing girlfriend?"

I blushed and smiled. I kissed his nose. "Yep. So what movie are we watching?" He laughed at my blunt response and subject change.

"Let's go get our food first, then we'll watch whatever you want," he said. I nodded and ran out of his room. I got to the kitchen and tossed the chipped glass. I picked up two new glasses and poured us Cokes. Nico walked in and grabbed his food and drink. As we walked to the couch, I noticed that we were walking at the same pace and on the same step. Perfectly in sync.

We put our food on the coffee table and I picked out Final Destination. I put the disc in the DVD player and pressed play. I started eating my food, starting with the Fudge Round. When I got done, I noticed him lounging on the couch and I leaned back on him. Nico wrapped his arm around me and we watched the whole movie. Half the time, we were laughing. Horror was practically comedy to us.

By the time the movie was over, I felt my eyelids getting heavy. I closed my eyes and felt Nico's strong arms picking me up. He took me to his bedroom and tucked me in. He turned to leave, but I stopped him. "Sleep in here," I said.

Nico hesitated then laid down next to me. I leaned over and kissed him lightly on the lips. He broke out into a smile. "Night, Thalia, my gorgeous and wonderful girlfriend."

I grinned sleepily, loving when he called me his girlfriend. "Goodnight Nico, my handsome and sweet boyfriend." He chuckled and I rested my head on his chest. He wrapped me in his arms and I was sang to sleep by his heartbeat.

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	9. Chapter VIII - Nico

_Summary: Thalia's mother doesn't exactly care and Nico isn't exactly okay. When Thalia moves to San Francisco, she gets new friends, a loving family, and, who knows? She might even fall in love if she's lucky. Two darkened pasts; can they find solace in one another?_

Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or characters I adopt from those books. Merely the characterization and plot are mine.

Chapter VIII; Nico

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When I woke up, I was briefly surprised that I was holding Thalia in my arms. Then the events of the previous night came flooding back to me. Thalia knew the truth – the whole truth – and she still kissed me.

_She kissed me._

After several mental victory dances, I smiled down at her. Her hair was a mess, but I loved it. I moved so that I was face-to-face with her and I touched her cheek. Thalia's eyes fluttered open and I smiled.

"Morning," I whispered.

"Mrnphrig," she said sleepily. I assumed that meant 'Hey, Nico! Good morning to you too!' I chuckled and I got up from the bed. "Where're you going?" Thalia mumbled, still half-asleep.

"I'm starving," I announced. At that exact moment, I heard a knock at the door. "I'll be in the kitchen," I threw over my shoulder as I headed to see who was here. I jogged to open the door and I saw Annabeth, looking annoyed and Percy, looking sleepy.

"Hey, Nico," Percy said, half-asleep. I smirked at him. The kid was practically sleep-walking.

"He's not going to wake up unless we make him blue pancakes," Annabeth said.

Percy perked up. "Would you?" he said with a smile.

Annabeth sighed. "Where's Thalia?" she addressed me.

"Nice to see you too, Annabeth," I said sarcastically. "She's in my room." Annabeth raised an eyebrow, and then walked past me and to my room.

"Hey, man, let's go make some food," I told Percy. He yawned and nodded his head. He collapsed in a chair in the kitchen. I got out the stuff for pancakes.

"You have blue food coloring, right?" Percy asked. I laughed and nodded. He wouldn't eat hardly anything unless it was blue. Percy's phone rang and he groaned. After a second, he flipped it open. "What? Oh, hey. Nico's. Hold on, I'll ask." He turned his gaze to me. "Is it alright if Travis and Katie come? And I think they're bringing Grover and Juniper."

"Just tell them to bring more pancake mix. And syrup. We're out," I said. Percy told them they could come and gave easy directions. He didn't say any road names, but he told them a bunch of landmarks. I was perfectly fine with Katie, Juniper, Grover and Travis joining us. Percy and Annabeth had started introducing me to new people once I started socializing again. All of us as I group have gone to the mall a few times, and I knew they were all cool.

Suddenly, I heard a voice that was unmistakably Annabeth yell. "OH MY GOD!" I looked at Percy, confused and he shrugged.

"Should we check it out?" I asked, mixing the pancake mix. Percy groaned and said no. I laughed and got out the griddle I had gotten a few years back. I was about to start cooking them when Percy spazzed out.

"Hey! Food dye! They have to be blue!" he persisted. I was humored by his intensity.

"Yes sir," I replied, adding the food dye and once again stirring the mixture. Percy's shoulders relaxed. I laughed quietly and started making pancakes when Thalia and Annabeth entered the kitchen.

"Hey, everyone," Thalia said as she fell into a chair next to Percy. "I'm so tired."

"We can tell," I joked. She glared at me for a second, then smiled. Thalia blushed for a second.

"Nico, move over! You're going to contaminate all of our food! Did you even clean the surface of the griddle? There are so many food borne illnesses we could get…" I zoned out as Annabeth continued to gripe at me. I put my hands up in surrender and gave her the spatula. I sat next to Thalia.

"I told Annabeth," she blurted. I blushed and laughed. "I'm sorry!"

I just took her hand. "Hey, they were bound to find out sometime."

Percy was staring at everyone with a blank expression. "What?" he asked stupidly.

"Percy, you are so dimwitted. Do you not see them holding hands?" Annabeth asked, exasperated.

Percy glanced down at our hands and grinned. "Oh," he said with realization. Thalia and I both blushed, but I was smiling at his expression. "So… You guys are… Together?"

"Duh, Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth practically yelled. He just smiled at her. He stood up and went over to her. He put it arms around her waist.

"Hey, I never properly said good morning," he told her.

Annabeth blushed, a little flustered and smiled. "Um, good morning?"

When she turned her head towards his, he stole a kiss. "Morning," he said happily. He sat back down at the table. "Well, now I'm awake," he said.

Annabeth blushed again and laughed quietly. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. "I got it," I said, standing up. I reluctantly let go of Thalia's hand and raced to the entrance. As soon as I opened the door, I saw Katie pulling Travis by his ear and he was repeatedly apologizing to her. Grover and Juniper were holding hands and gave Travis and Katie amused glances. They walked past them. Grover clapped me on the back.

"Hey, Nico. Morning," he greeted. Juniper waved and followed him inside with the pancake mix and syrup in a grocery bag.

"Katie, I'm sorry!" Travis screamed. Katie just smirked at him and dropped his ear, causing him to fall face first on the ground.

"Okay," she said, walking inside. "Hi!" she told me. I nodded at her and Travis quickly got up and followed her like a puppy dog. I chuckled under my breath, closing the door.

When I reentered the kitchen, Thalia was lying face down on the table. Travis, Katie, Juniper and Grover all chorused hellos and Thalia brought her head up for a second. "Hey," she said, just before dropping her head again.

"Thalia, do you need coffee?" I asked her, already getting out a filter and the coffee grains.

"God, yes," Thalia said. We all laughed at her and I made enough for everyone. Annabeth mixed the new pancake mix and quickly finished breakfast. Just as she finished the last pancake, the coffee finished.

"Great timing," Katie commented. I brought out a stack of plates and eight coffee cups. My table was small, but I also had a bar that could seat five or six people. We all took our seats. I looked around and noticed that pretty much all of us were wearing sweatpants and hoodies, besides Annabeth. She was wearing capris and a button up plaid shirt. She sat next to Percy at my table and I offered to sit at the bar with Grover, Juniper and Travis. Katie and Thalia took seats next to Percy and Annabeth.

"Thank you, Annabeth," Juniper said nicely. Annabeth smiled her thanks.

Percy groaned and we all turned our attention to him. "What?" he asked. "They're really good." We all laughed at him as he blushed. Annabeth kissed his cheek.

"I'll take that as a thank you," she said lightly. We all ate, carrying on conversation. We started out talking about fruit and somehow ended up at sumo wrestlers.

"Their outfits must be so uncomfortable," Grover said, making a face.

"I just don't see the point in two huge guys slapping their fat against each other," Thalia said. Percy snorted in amusement.

Thalia sipped her coffee. "Hey, Travis, switch me seats," she ordered. He didn't fight her and simply picked up his plate and walked dutifully to sit next to Katie. Thalia plopped down next to me and the conversations started up.

"Hey," I said happily. I was pretty glad she was sitting next to me now. She leaned over and kissed me on the cheek.

"Good morning," she said sweetly. Everyone besides Percy and Annabeth fell silent.

"When the hell did that happen?" Travis asked bluntly.

Katie and Juniper smiled. "Oh, I knew it!" Juniper said, clapping her hands. Katie nodded in agreement. Grover and Travis looked really surprised.

"So, you guys are dating?" Grover asked to clarify.

Juniper lightly patted his cheek. "Yes," she said slowly.

"Percy has the sudden urge to watch Aladdin," Percy said, talking in the third person. Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"You're such a kid," she muttered.

Thalia grinned. "Nico is too, especially with food. He practically cried when he almost touched a pea," she said evilly.

I pretended to look hurt. "Travis is just a kid, period," Katie announced, smirking at Travis.

"I think Grover's very mature," Juniper said sweetly. Grover blushed at her compliment.

"I was serious about Aladdin," Percy said with a straight face. Annabeth laughed at him.

"Come on, let's go turn on Netflix," she told him, pulling his hand.

"I got dishes," I said.

"I'm with him," Thalia announced.

"Travis and I will get the pillows and blankets," Katie offered. I nodded and pointed her in the correct direction.

"We'll clean off the counters," Grover said, picking up the empty pancake mix box. Juniper started cleaning off the griddle as Thalia and I gathered up the dishes. I scraped extra food into the disposal and rinsed them off, handing them to Thalia. She placed them in the dishwasher.

"We found it!" Percy called out.

"Almost done!" I yelled back. I handed Thalia the last dish and when she turned back around, I kissed her. She was stunned for a second but kissed me back.

Percy walked into the room and threw a pillow at us. "Keep it G-rated, you guys," he said playfully. I glared at him, but smiled as I chucked the pillow at him. Thalia pulled on my hand, taking me to the living room. Everyone else was already seated.

I flopped down on the recliner and Thalia fell next to me. The recliner was pretty big, so there was plenty of room. Percy and Annabeth were on the floor, leaning up against the couch. Annabeth was punching Percy's arm, desperate to get the remote. "Percy, if you don't give me the remote I am going to cut off all of your fingers!"

Percy frowned. "But then I couldn't hold your hand," he said sadly.

She leaned forward and kissed him and he seemed to forget about the remote. She snatched it from his hand with a triumphant "Ha!"

"No fair!" Percy complained. She smirked at him. "Just start the movie," he grumbled. We all chuckled, enjoying the show in front of us. Thalia was leaning into me, and I was probably grinning like a fool.

Grover threw his arm around Juniper and pulled her closer to him on the couch. She leaned on his shoulder. Travis was sitting on the floor and Katie was leaning back on him. I thought they had a kinda funny relationship. Even though Travis gets on her last nerve, you can tell that they really care about each other. I think that if my significant other was as sneaky and mischievous as Travis, I wouldn't be able to handle it. I admired Katie for her willpower. As the opening credits started, I glanced down at Thalia. She smiled up at me and kissed my jaw, making my smile widen.

I turned my attention to the movie. Aladdin was actually one of my favorites. I thought he was very macho and heroic. Percy laughed at all the parts that were the slightest bit funny. Annabeth always scowled, but then her look softened when she turned to him and saw his smiling face. They really fought like a married couple in my opinion.

I heard Thalia humming to all of the songs and I grinned. I loved her singing voice. When she had sang to me in the car, I was afraid my heart would stop. She matched every note perfectly. I started playing with her hair, loving it's silkiness. She sighed happily. "I want a tiger like Raja," she said aloud.

We all looked at her. "What? I've always wanted a tiger," she replied to everyone shocked faces. I laughed under my breath.

"That's very fitting for you, Thalia," Travis said sarcastically. She pitched a pillow at his face, not hitting Katie at all. Katie giggled as Travis rubbed his face.

"Pillow fight?" Percy asked. Annabeth responded by smacking him in the chest with a pillow. He narrowed his gaze and before long, we were all hurling pillows at one another. Grover and Juniper stepped back and enjoyed the show until Annabeth threw one at Juniper. I knew she was a natural peacemaker, but she raised an eyebrow and simply picked it up. Grover was just staring off into space, so when she hit him, he fell backwards. Juniper burst out laughing and joined our mass fight. Grover soon ran in after her. You would occasionally see Annabeth throwing a punch at Percy, who hardly flinched. I guess he built up immunity to them by now.

Katie pinched Travis' ear again and he cried out like a girl. "Okay, okay! Travis is done!" he announced. We all ceased our fights. Out of nowhere, one last pillow flew at my face, causing me to fall backwards on the couch.

I heard Thalia's musical laughter and I sat up and glared at her. "I'll get revenge," I growled.

"Oh my god! Everyone shut up!" Percy yelled. Annabeth gave him a look like he was crazy. He gestured to the TV. "It's my favorite part!" Annabeth rolled her eyes and pulled him down to the ground. She leaned on him as he watched the screen, entranced.

I realized that it was Aladdin and Jasmine riding on the magic carpet singing 'A Whole New World'. I looked down at Thalia, who had settled down next to me after I returned to the recliner. "Sing," I said. Thalia gave me a look, but started singing anyways. It was low enough for me and only me to hear. I was once again spellbound by her voice. When the song finished, I kissed her forehead.

Percy let out a happy sigh. "That's so awesome," he commented, looking at the movie dreamily. Annabeth laughed at his expression and he turned to her. "Got something to say?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nope," she said quickly as she kissed his cheek and once again focused on the movie. We finished the movie. Travis clapped when it was over even though no one joined him.

"I'm hungry," Percy said. We all rolled our eyes.

"Aren't you always?" Thalia said.

Percy glared at her. "I'm sorry I'm a guy!" he said, defending himself.

"No, you're a bottomless pit," Travis said, chuckling.

"So, what do you guys want to do?" I asked.

"Eat," Percy said.

"It's lunchtime in an hour," Juniper piped up. "Where are we going to go?"

"Dude, I want Mexican," Grover said.

"That sounds amazing," Percy said in a sing song voice.

"Mexican it is," I said. "What about that Fiesta place around the corner from the mall?"

"I have to change," Katie said. "And Travis does too."

"Why?" he said, frowning.

She rolled her eyes. "Just come on. See you guys in an hour!" she said, pulling him through the door. Juniper and Grover called their goodbyes and followed them out. Annabeth helped us clean up the blankets as Percy turned off the TV and the Wii.

"Hey, congrats, man," Percy told me when Thalia and Annabeth left to put the blankets away. "Thalia's good for you."

"Yeah," I said happily. "She's really something, isn't she?"

Percy laughed. "Nico, you look insanely lovestruck as of right now."

I blushed, but laughed. Annabeth and Thalia reentered the room. "Come on, Percy. You need a shower," Annabeth said.

"I just showered this morning!" Percy protested.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow, looking at his hair. "I can't tell."

They walked out of the apartment, bickering. "Bye you guys!" Annabeth yelled, halfway down the hall. We called out our goodbyes as they continued their argument. I chuckled and turned to Thalia.

"They fight all the time," I commented.

"Yeah, but they're perfect for each other," Thalia said, amused. I just looked at her, taking in her features. She had once told me that she despised her freckles, but I thought they were truly adorable. I admired her full lips and long eyelashes. She slapped the side of my face twice, lightly. "Wake up, Nico," she said, almost laughing.

I blushed and pulled her in for a hug. She wrapped her arms around me and I briefly thought that she smelled like mint. Thalia pulled back and kissed me quickly. "We need to get ready," she said, already running down the hall. "I call first shower!" I rolled my eyes and followed her.

As soon as I entered my room, she was exiting with her backpack and heading to the bathroom. She shut the door behind her and I fell onto my bed, thinking my life was entirely too perfect.

I had friends, now. I wasn't as secluded. I also had a strikingly beautiful girlfriend who keeps me on my toes. My grades were getting better in school, and I was no longer following old habits, such as cutting. All thanks to Thalia. While she was still using the bathroom, I talked to Bianca. I felt as though I no longer had to imagine her answers. I just knew she was listening.

"Hey, B. I really miss you, as always. She kissed me, thank the lord, and now we're together. Percy and Annabeth are doing great, and Katie still has Travis wrapped around her finger," I said out loud, chuckling. "I'm healing, Bianca. Slowly but surely. I'll never stop missing you, but being with Thalia helps with the pain. I stopped cutting, for good. She's amazing, and she wasn't scared of me when she found out. Her voice is great, Bianca. She could be famous if she wanted to. You know Jasmine Grace? The celebrity? That's her mother. My grades are getting better, like you always wanted. I finally passed a math test." I inhaled deeply, letting out the breath slowly. I heard the shower turn off, and I knew it wouldn't be long before Thalia was back. "I love you, sis. I'll see you soon."

With that, I jumped up out of my bed and I went to my closet. I yanked a few things off the hangers and grabbed some jeans and boxers out of my drawers. I tossed it all on my bed and took off my sister's necklace. I laid it down on my dresser carefully. Thalia walked into my room, hugging me from behind. "You smell like soap," I said without thinking.

She laughed with her face pressed up against my back. "That's usually what showers do to you, Nico," she said sarcastically. I smiled and turned around, looking her in the eyes. I narrowed my eyes and she simply laughed at me. She leaned up towards me. Her lips were about a centimeter away from mine. Thalia put her hand under my shirt and felt my bare chest, causing me to shiver.

I couldn't take it anymore. I had to kiss Thalia, _now._ Just as I was leaning down, she unexpectedly, she pulled back and gave me an evil grin, knowing what she did. I raised an eyebrow, but she ran from the room. "No way are you getting away with that!" I called after her. I ran and followed her, just to see the closet door close. I knew there wasn't a lock on that door, so I smirked. I approached the door and tried the door. She was holding the handle, stopping me from turning it.

"Thalia," I taunted. I heard her laugh on the other side of the door. I twisted the doorknob with all my might. "Oh my god! I think Green Day is having a concert in the road!" I yelled. I knew that would disorient her, so I used it to my advantage and twisted the doorknob. I finally got it open and I tackled Thalia.

"Tricked you," I said quietly, cornering her.

"That was not fair! Cheater! You know how I feel about Green Day!" she yelled, but I could hear the smile in her voice.

I leaned down to her neck and kissed her softly, not even replying to her. She shivered and I laughed lightly. I brushed my hands along the bit of exposed flesh between her shirt and her sweatpants. She leaned closer to me and I move closer to her. About a second before I kissed her, I turned and walked the opposite way.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! No! Only I can do that to you!" she said with a laugh. I turned around and winked at her. I started for my room, but she gripped my arm, turning my around. "No way are you getting away with that," she whispered, repeating my words.

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed me once, but I pulled her in again. She backed up and leaned against the wall, pulling my shirt so I had to follow her. I smiled against her lips and she did the same. I put my hands on either side of her face, enjoying the perfect moment. When I couldn't go another moment without air, I pulled back.

We were both breathing heavily when Thalia's phone rang. She rolled her eyes, but pulled it out and answered. "Yes? What? Oh, god, I'm so sorry. Yeah, ten minutes."

"It's already 12:10!" Thalia said, pushing me into my room. "Change now!" _Wow, we were kissing for a long time._

"I'm going!" I said, turning around and kissing her cheek one last time. She scolded me, but the effect was lost because she was grinning.

"Just go!" she said. I winked at her again and quickly changed my clothes. I put on Bianca's necklace, which I had taken off, thinking I was going to shower. _Whoops._

"I never even showered," I said as we rushed out the door.

"Would you have rather been showering?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"N-no, I, uh…" I stammered.

Thalia laughed. "You showered yesterday. And you smell amazing. So don't worry." I threw my arm over her shoulder as we walked over to Suzie. "You can drive today," she said.

"Wow, thanks for giving me permission to drive _my_ car," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

She kissed my cheek. "Our car," she corrected. I smiled as she went around to the passenger's side. We drove to the Mexican restaurant in a rush. We were greeted by a group of disgruntled teenagers who got amused looks on their faces when they saw our hair all messed up and our clothes hurriedly arranged and wrinkled.

"What kept you guys?" Travis asked with a twinkle in his eye. We both blushed, earning a group laugh from the others.

"Please don't go into detail," Annabeth said, still laughing. I blushed further, but Thalia grabbed my hand. When I looked to her, she shrugged.

"Whatever. There's no point in acting like we weren't late due to intense making out," she said plainly. I blushed even more, if that was possible, but I laughed. Soon, the others joined in.

"Come on, Annabeth! I'm hungry!" Percy complained. Annabeth rolled her eyes but grabbed his hand anyways and told us to 'come on before Percy loses his marbles'. We entered the restaurant and sat at a corner table. They brought out the complimentary nachos and queso dip.

Percy ate the whole basket in a few seconds. Our waitress was a pretty middle-aged lady. She had blonde hair and kind, brown eyes. "Hi, my name's Jane. I'll be your server for tonight. What would you like to drink?" she asked. She went around the table, taking the orders. When she was done, she asked us if we were ready to order.

"Yes!" Percy piped up. "Taco Salad Supreme. Loaded. I want everything on it. Oh, and two hard shelled tacos. Oh, and more nachos. Definitely more nachos." Jane smiled as she wrote down the order.

We went around the table, Thalia ordering about as much as Percy did. As soon as the waitress left with our orders, we talked about how we all had nothing to do tomorrow. In the middle of our conversation, Travis yawned dramatically and stretched, slipping his hand over Katie's shoulder. She giggled at his actions, but rolled her eyes. We all laughed at his not-so-subtle-ness.

"Hey, why don't we go to an amusement park?" Juniper suggested. Ever since Grover took her to a fair, she's had a passion for scary rides.

Thalia paled. I knew she was afraid of heights. I touched her arm softly and she looked up at me, fear in her eyes. "We won't go on the high rides," I said, just low enough for her to hear. She relaxed and nodded.

We all agreed on going to Wild Adventures. The food came and Percy ate his within a few minutes. Annabeth wasn't too hungry, so he ate everything nobody wanted.

After a dinner filled with friendly banter and Travis making comments that made everyone laugh, we went our separate ways, agreeing to meet at the theme park by 10:00 AM tomorrow.

Percy's eyes widened and he looked at Annabeth. "Ten o'clock? In the morning? On a Saturday?"

Annabeth patted his shoulder. "You'll live," she said simply. He had a truly pained look on his face. Annabeth laughed and kissed his cheek. "Come on, Percy. See you guys later!" Percy and Annabeth waved as they headed to Percy's car.

Travis and Katie were walking away, swinging their intertwined hands as they followed Juniper and Grover. I looked to Thalia with a raised eyebrow. "10:00 AM?"

She groaned and leaned into my chest. I wrapped my arms around her. "So early," she moped. I chuckled lightly and picked her up, bridal style. She didn't argue with me and tell me to put her down this time. I sat her in the passenger seat and she smiled. I leaned down and kissed her. "I'm going to need superior amounts of coffee," she said. I smiled and kissed her again.

"I can work with that," I told her. I decided that she needed to go home since Mrs. Christine was probably worried about her. When I arrived at her house, she was sound asleep. I picked her up again, carrying her inside. Mr. Chase and Mrs. Christine were drinking coffee in the kitchen. They greeted me and told me to take her upstairs. I replied and headed up to her room. Annabeth was sleeping on the top bunk. I laid Thalia down on the bottom bunk. I tucked her in and kissed her forehead, turning on my heel and leaving the room.

Just before I left, I heard her mutter a thank you. When I came back downstairs, Mr. Chase thanked me for getting her home safely.

"My pleasure, sir," I replied.

"Are you two dating?" asked the ever so blunt Mrs. Christine.

I put my hand on the back of my neck. "Um, yeah."

"Great!" She beamed at me. "You two are so cute!" she gushed.

Mr. Chase chuckled. "Mmm… Quite. Well, I'm going to go work some. Are the girls asleep? They woke up early," he told me.

"Yes sir," I said respectfully.

He nodded and sighed. "It's only 2:45. They're going to be up all night long once they wake up from their naps," Mr. Chase said.

Mrs. Christine stood up from her chair. "Well, I have some errands to run. Good day, Nico!" she said as she left.

"Ah, yes. And I have some work to do. I will see you later, Nico. Take care of Thalia," Mr. Chase said. He said it conversationally, but I could tell that he meant business.

"Yes sir, I promise. See you, Mr. Chase," I said, leaving. I drove home in silence and ended up drifting off soon after I lay in my bed.

My last conscious thought was that my life was going great.

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	10. Chapter IX - Thalia

_Summary: Thalia's mother doesn't exactly care and Nico isn't exactly okay. When Thalia moves to San Francisco, she gets new friends, a loving family, and, who knows? She might even fall in love if she's lucky. Two darkened pasts; can they find solace in one another?_

Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or characters I adopt from those books. Merely the characterization and plot are mine.

Chapter IX; Thalia

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"Thalia, we're there," I heard Nico say. I _was_ trying to peacefully sleep in the car on the way to meet everyone at the amusement park. Nico was ever-so-rudely interrupting my amazing dream about meeting Green Day.

"Go. Away," I replied grumpily. It was ten in the morning. Suddenly, I smelled the amazing aroma of a hazelnut latte.

"But I got you coffee," Nico said in a sing song voice. I instantly opened my eyes and grabbed the coffee. He chuckled as I sipped it. I gave him my thanks and we pulled into a parking spot. There weren't too many cars, so everyone wouldn't have to wait in line for too long.

We still had a few minutes until ten so I sat in the car and finished my coffee. Nico just stared at me, which at first I thought was creepy, but then I found it sweet. I was a little uncomfortable with having his undivided attention, but I tried not to think into it. I probably stared at him more that he stared at me.

As I took my last sip of coffee and put the cup in the cup holder, he put both of his hands on either side of my face and kissed me softly. "I'm sorry, I've wanted to do that all morning," he said, blushing. I laughed at his nervousness and I leaned in, kissing him again. Nico sighed dreamily and I chuckled.

"Come on, Nico. We're going to have a group of grumpy teenagers if we aren't on time," I told him. I got out of the car with my empty Starbucks cup. It was hot outside, so I was glad that I wore shorts. Nico was still wearing dark skinny jeans and a black shirt. "Nico, you have got to be boiling in those clothes," I said.

Nico shrugged. "It's whatever. Come on, we better go find the others. They said to meet at the park entrance." I grabbed his hand and we walked there together. We paid for our tickets and there was no line. The second we passed through, we heard Annabeth.

"Perseus Jackson, if you do not put me down – "

"I know, I know! You'll chop off all of my fingers and burn them to ashes," Percy said, cutting her off. We rounded a corner and we saw a very irritated Annabeth thrown over a very triumphant Percy's shoulder.

"I was going to say that I'd never talk to you again," Annabeth said. Percy smirked at her. They were so odd. One second, they'd be drowning in each other's eyes and the next, Annabeth is threatening to give him a slow and painful death.

"Yeah, right. You'd never do that," Percy said plainly. Silence. "Right?" Silence. "Annabeth?" Silence. "Jeez, fine." He put her down and she ignored him and walked over to us. She gave us both hugs and greeted us.

"Travis and Katie are in the gift shop. Grover and Juniper went to some wildlife thing," she explained. "They should be back in a few minutes."

"Annabeth?" Percy asked. She smirked at us pretended she didn't hear him. "But I put you down!" he complained. I laughed at his childishness. "Really? The silent treatment?"

"Hey! It's Thalia and Nico!" someone yelled. I turned around to see the infamous Travis Stoll. Katie was walking further behind him with Juniper and Grover. We all greeted each other and got hugs or man-hugs depending on gender.

"Annabeth!" I heard Percy say again. She didn't even glance at him, but I saw her eyes twinkle with amusement. He spun her around and kissed her. "Just because you aren't talking to me, doesn't mean you can't kiss me, right?"

"Yeah," Annabeth said happily. "Crap, I talked to you!" She rolled her eyes at herself as Percy grinned. We all shared a laugh as Annabeth passed out park maps. "We should go to this section first, then circle around the park. If all goes well, we will end up back at the entrance. I know Nico and Thalia won't be riding most of the roller coasters, but there are normal rides here and here," she explained, pointed to places on the map. "At twelve, we will meet up at the restaurant here." She passed around a marker so we could circle it. "After that, we'll find some more things to do. Everyone understand? Questions?"

Percy was staring at her admiringly. Honestly, I thought it was slightly unnecessary to plan out the whole entire day, but I didn't say anything because I didn't want to be turned to ashes by her scary glare. Apparently, no one else felt up to it either, and we all agreed with understanding.

"Hangman. Now," Percy ordered Annabeth. She rolled her eyes.

"Everyone coming?" She asked. My eyes widened. Nico grabbed my hand, easing my fear. I looked at him gratefully.

"If I ride with you, will you go?" Nico whispered to me. I was about to say a very blunt 'no', but I thought about it. Heck, riding was worth a try. I let recklessness take over.

"You are holding my hand the entire time. You will not pick on me if I scream," I said, laying down rules. He opened his mouth to reply, but I cut him off. "Or if I cry. You will not tell me not to close my eyes. Understood?" I asked as we started walking.

Nico beamed at me. "Hell yes! I promise!" he said excitedly. I couldn't help but grin at his contagious smile. Before I knew it, we were standing in line. I started to psych myself out. I've seen that Final Destination movie with the roller coaster._ What if it stops working and we all die? What if I'm not belted in right and I fall to the ground? What if _– ?

"Thalia! Stop it!" Nico scolded me.

"What?" I asked innocently.

"By the way you were biting your lip, I can tell you are freaking yourself out. Now stop it," He told me. I was about to reply when I realized it was our turn to get on. _Holy shit. Holy shit._

As soon as I sat down, Nico buckled me in correctly. I kicked off my flipflops and I felt my hands start sweating. Nico grabbed my hand and I squeezed. The workers came by and jerked my seatbelt to make sure it was tight enough. "Nico, I can't do this," I said quietly.

"Well, I would kiss you right now to melt away all of your fears like some cheesy knight in shining armor, but I am restrained," Nico said with a smirk, gesturing to the harness. I laughed at his comment.

"Ready?" asked one of the workers.

"Ready!" everyone on the ride chorused besides me. The ride took off… on a slow and intimidating incline.

"Nico, holy hell, shit, damn." I kept up a long string of cuss words. "Say something!" I yelled at him.

"Like what?" he asked.

"Something… comforting?" I told him.

Nico looked at me with a sweet smile. The ride was frozen in place. "I'm falling for you," he said simply, just before the ride plunged downward. I probably screamed, but I was smiling big time. _Falling for me? Like love? _I did a mental victory dance and a fan-girl scream. I probably cut off his circulation by the way I was holding his hand. I shut my eyes and waited patiently for the ride to be over. I loved the feel of the wind like this, and I wasn't even thinking about the height.

Before I knew it, we were pulling to a stop. The harnesses loosened so we could unbuckled them. "That was awesome!" I exclaimed. Nico beamed at me.

"I'm glad you liked it," he said happily, as I pulled on my flip flops. I pulled him in for a hug. I leaned back just a little so that I could kiss him. "And just for the record, I'm seriously falling for you too," I said, without thinking.

Nico kissed me cheek and smiled. "I'll be there to catch you."

I rolled my eyes but smiled. "Oh, jeez. Cheesy much?"

Nico shrugged. "Whatever, you liked it." He smiled at me and we exited the ride.

"So, Thalia, how was it?" Annabeth questioned.

I grinned. "Great!"

"Holy shit!" Nico exclaimed. I looked at him alarmed.

"What's wrong?" I asked, confused. He yanked my arm.

"Thalia, come on! There's Dippin' Dots! We have to get some!" Nico whined. I rolled my eyes. _You are such a kid when it comes to food._

"Alright, let's go. See you guys later!" I called out to everyone else, who was headed to the next attraction. They all waved. Nico pulled me over to the stand and got Cookies and Cream. He ordered me mint chocolate chip. I tried to pay for mine, but he covered it.

After we received our ice cream, we settled on a bench and people-watched. "He's wearing a business suit," Nico said, gesturing to a man walking by with a briefcase and a cell phone that looked like it might be permanently attached to his ear. We laughed as the man gave a running child an incredulous look.

"Why would you wear that to a theme park?" I asked out loud. Nico laughed and shook his head. A thought occurred to me. "Did you mean it?" I asked, before I could stop the words.

"Mean what? That he was wearing a business suit?" Nico asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

I chuckled. "No, what you said about how you'd catch me."

He gave me a warm smile, so intimate it caused me to blush. "You should know better than to think I wouldn't," Nico said. He leaned forward and kissed my nose, causing me to raise an eyebrow.

"Seriously? You couldn't have just kissed my lips? I mean, they're not too far from my nose," I said with mock irritation.

Nico winked at me. "Gotta leave the ladies wanting more," he said.

"Ladies?" I asked, stifling a smile as I faked anger.

He quickly corrected his mistake. "Lady. Singular. Just you, Thalia," Nico said. I smirked at him. Suddenly, a blonde guy, probably a year younger than me if not older walked by. He looked a little panicked as he called out a name. "Piper!" he yelled. He turned for a split second and sucked in a sharp breath. His eyes were as blue as mine. However, as soon as he'd come, he was gone. I shook it off. It wasn't Jason. That'd be too much of a coincidence for him to be here at the same time as me. I stomped on my hope to make sure it didn't inflate anymore. We threw our empty containers away and went to find the others.

We rode just about every rollercoaster, besides one called Bug Out. "We're all going to ride that together," Nico explained. It was about to be twelve, so we headed to the restaurant. Of course, Annabeth was here fifteen minutes early.

Percy and Annabeth were holding hands and staring at each other in silence. It obviously wasn't an awkward one for them, but I cleared my throat. I do not need a lovey-dovey couple having eye-sex right in front of me. That is not on my to-do list. They straightened up and gestured for us to sit. Soon after, Grover and Juniper arrived, both wearing t-shirts telling the world to 'Go Green!'

"Where're Katie and Travis?" Juniper asked with concern. We all shrugged.

"Let's give it about ten minutes. They may have just – "

Katie busted through the door looking supremely angry. She was covered in silly string, and was red with anger. Travis was running behind her calling out apologies. She slammed the door in his face. "You went too far, Travis! Too far!" she shouted.

Travis continued with his apologies as they took their seats. "Katie, it was a joke! I'm sorry!"

She ignored him bluntly, rolling her eyes. "Katie, please! I love you!" he finally said, when she wouldn't talk to him.

Katie's head snapped up. "What?" she asked in a small voice.

"I love you," he said simply, not breaking their eye contact. Katie screamed in excitement and jumped across the table.

"Oh my god, I love you too!" she yelled. I rolled my eyes. Can you say sappy?

"Sappy," Nico muttered under his breath. I laughed, thinking about how he read my thoughts. We jumped up to go stand in line as Katie and Travis made-up and kissed each other senseless. Everyone else soon joined us in the line, trying to escape the make-out session before their eyes.

"Get a room!" Grover called. We all laughed at their blood red faces. The scrambled up to the line next to us.

"Sorry," they muttered. We ordered and then took our seats once again. All throughout lunch, we talked about what we had done that day. After about thirty minutes, Percy tapped his glass dramatically.

"I have an announcement to make!" he said. Everyone groaned as he frowned. "Hey, it's important. We will all report to Bug Out next. And congratulations to Katie and Travis."

"It's not like they're getting married," Annabeth said, rolling her eyes.

Percy shrugged. "Ah, but they're in love. It's supposed to be happy, Wise Girl," Percy teased. Annabeth glared at him as we tossed out our trash and headed to the roller coaster.

Bug Out was a complete adrenaline rush. The ride jerked you around on every corner and Nico laughed every time I yelped. I'd glare at him, but then I'd scream again as we rounded the corner. It made you feel as though you were going to fall. The cart even went up on two wheels! After it was over, I begged him to ride it again. It was amazing, the rush you got.

"Don't get too addicted," Nico said, smiling.

"I won't get addicted to roller coasters. Stop worrying," I said, rolling my eyes, but grinning nonetheless.

"I wasn't talking about the roller coasters," Nico said with a wink. _What? Oh… He's referring to himself._

I snorted. "No way!" I said. He pulled me aside and kissed me with intensity that made my head spin. It felt like our first kisses. I melted into him. When we pulled away, he smirked. I was still a little dazed.

"Yep, you're addicted."

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	11. Chapter X - Nico & Thalia

_Summary: Thalia's mother doesn't exactly care and Nico isn't exactly okay. When Thalia moves to San Francisco, she gets new friends, a loving family, and, who knows? She might even fall in love if she's lucky. Two darkened pasts; can they find solace in one another?_

Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or characters I adopt from those books. Merely the characterization and plot are mine.

Chapter X; Nico

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The day at the amusement park was the most fun I had had in years. Thalia made me feel less numb, like I could actually carry on with my life. I loved the way her face lit up every time she saw a ride she wanted to try. After I dropped her off at her house, I wandered around on the roads, not feeling like going home. As I was driving down a random back road, I saw a tall silhouette.

I was about to turn down a road, but the silhouette was a guy. I'd seen him before, I think at the amusement park. I pulled up next to where he was walking and drove slowly. "Hey, do you need a ride?" I asked him.

He turned to me and I saw a familiar set of eyes. He ran a hand through his blonde hair before answering. "No, man, it's cool. I don't have anywhere to go anyways," he said, mumbling the last part. He obviously was a little distraught.

I suddenly felt a spark of sympathy. I knew what it felt like to have nowhere to go. "Do you need a place to stay? I have a guest room at my apartment. You're welcome to come until you straighten things out," I offered.

He stopped in his tracks and I pressed my food down on the brake. "You'd offer that to a complete stranger?" he asked quizzically.

I shrugged. "I know what it's like. To have nowhere to return to, no one who'll take you. And you don't look like a drug dealer or someone who's in a gang. So, I trust you for now," I said.

The guy looked a little skeptical. "Who are you?" he asked, probably trying to determine if I was a sex offender or something.

"Nico di Angelo," I told him. "And you are?"

"Uh, Jason."

"No last name?"

"Not yet," Jason said.

"Fair enough." I gestured for him to get in. "You look familiar to me, for some reason." His eyes were really bothering me. I'd seen them, but I couldn't place it. I was now sure that he was the guy I'd seen at the amusement park. He ran by shouting something…

"I've been told that I look like a few celebrities. It's probably one of them," Jason said uncomfortably.

"That must be it. What kind of food do you eat?" I asked. I didn't have much back at the house and I had some time and money to blow. He gave me a weird look and I laughed. "I was talking about going out to eat. I don't have much at the house."

Jason nodded and laughed a little. "I don't have much money," he said apologetically. I waved it off, telling him that I'd spot him money. "Thanks, man. Really," Jason said earnestly.

"Don't mention it. So, what're you feeling?" I asked him.

"Whatever you want. I can't exactly tell you no since you're paying," he said. _This kid's not so bad._

"Well, I want Chinese food. Is that alright?" His eyes lit up and he nodded enthusiastically.

"Definitely, that's my favorite!" he exclaimed. I stopped at the Panda Express about ten minutes away from my house. We ordered our food and sat down to eat.

"So, Jason No-Last-Name, why are you on the run if you don't mind me asking?" I questioned. He took a bite of his food as he thought about his answer.

"Well, there's several reasons, but the main one is to find someone," Jason said. I got the feeling that he didn't want to elaborate, so I dropped it. "Uh, what about you? Earlier you said you knew what it felt like to have nowhere to run."

I nodded. "Yeah. Some things have happened in my past and for a while I had no one. I live alone. Well, my girlfriend stays sometimes, but I already took her home. My parents, well, abandoned me."

Jason nodded, looking sympathetic. "I know the feeling." He smirked at me. "But what about this girlfriend of yours?"

I probably blushed. "Uh, yeah. She's great," I said honestly. Jason laughed, probably at my discomfort.

"What's she like?" Jason asked, obviously trying to keep the topic off himself.

I smiled. "She's gorgeous. She likes Green Day a lot. She wears all black, like me," I said, gesturing to my clothes.

Jason laughed. "She sounds awesome," he commented.

"Oh, she is," I said happily. "What about you? Girlfriend?"

Jason blushed bright red. "Uh, sorta. We just fought. Hence why I was walking down the road."

"And what's she like? When you aren't fighting?" I asked him.

He smiled. "She's amazing. Super gorgeous, but she tries to downplay it. I like that, how she's not obsessed with how she looks. I think it makes her even more beautiful," Jason said, gushing.

"Can you say lovesick puppy?" I asked sarcastically. Jason shrugged.

We finished our food in a few minutes and headed back to my car. "Thank you, Nico. It was nice of you to do all this," he said.

"It's fine, man. I don't mind helping people out," I told him honestly. We got in the car and kept up a conversation on the way to my apartment. We trudged up the stairs and I showed him to his room. I tossed him a pair of sweatpants. "I know I don't sleep in jeans," I said as he nodded gratefully.

"Oh, and I should warn you," I said, on the way to my room. "My girlfriend can be loud when she wakes people up, so if she stops by tomorrow, brace yourself."

He chuckled. "Thanks again, Nico. Night," Jason said.

"You're welcome. Night, man." I walked into my room and changed into sleeping clothes. I collapsed on my bed, pretty tired. I fell into a deep sleep, not even minutes later.

When I woke up, I knew that Bianca had visited my dreams, but only briefly. I saw a flash of her face, and it disappeared. I frowned for a second before I felt someone pounce on my bed.

"Wake up, sleepyhead!" Thalia yelled. I groaned. "Nico, come on! The sun is up!"

"Why are you so awake today?" I asked her sleepily.

"I slept amazing last night!" she announced happily.

"I'm glad," I said, turning over.

"Nico! Please! For me!" she begged, bouncing up and down on my bed. "I'll make you breakfast!"

I was up. "Okay!" I said happily. I remembered that I had let Jason stay here last night. "Oh, and Thalia?"

"Yes?"

"Someone stayed here last night."

She raised an eyebrow. "Gender?"

I laughed and kissed her forehead. "Male."

Thalia relaxed. "Okay, we'll wake him up after I make breakfast," she told me. She pulled on my hand and led me to the kitchen. "Where's my apron?" she demanded.

"Second drawer next to the fridge," I told her. She retrieved her apron and put it on. I tied it for her and she kissed my cheek as a thanks.

"So, where'd you find this random guy?" she asked me.

"Oh, just on a back road," I said as she started making breakfast for three. Thalia was actually pretty amazing in the kitchen. I ate a whole pan of her brownies one time.

"And you just picked him up?" Thalia asked skeptically.

I shrugged even though her back was turned to me. "Yeah, he's not a bad kid."

Thalia shrugged. "Whatever, I trust you. I really had fun yesterday!" she said.

I grinned and started helping her out. "Me too! I'm glad we conquered your fear of roller coasters," I told her.

Thalia glared at me. "I'm scared of heights. Not roller coasters. I love roller coasters!" she exclaimed.

"You are so peppy today," I commented. I got another glare. "In a good way."

She rolled her eyes. "Nice save," Thalia muttered. I laughed as she flipped the last pancake over. "Butter it," she ordered me.

"Yes ma'am," I told her with a wink. I followed her directions, and soon, we had three plates of pancakes, bacon and orange juice. "I'll go get him."

I banged on the door. "Jason! Breakfast!" I yelled. He called back a reply.

When I came back to Thalia, she looked a little pale. "Jason?" she asked in a small voice. I nodded and she sat down at the table, pouring her orange juice. She shook her head as if to forget her thoughts.

"Did you seriously cook breakfa – ?" I heard Jason stop in his tracks so I turned around. "Wait, who're you?" he asked Thalia. She was white as a sheet and obviously not planning on answering. I was about to tell him her name, but he spoke for me.

"Thalia?"

* * *

THALIA'S POV

It was him. Jason. My little brother. It had to be. I searched his face and my eyes landed on the scar right above his lip. He tried to eat a stapler.

"Jason?" I asked quietly. His eyes widened.

"What the hell?" Nico asked as I jumped up from my seat and tackled Jason.

"It's my brother!" I yelled as I messed up his hair. He was about a foot taller than me. He was so big now!

"Brother?" Nico asked.

"Yes, brother! I told you my mom gave him away earlier because she's a cold hearted person!" I exclaimed.

Jason beamed at me and hugged me again. "So, this is who you were looking for?" Nico asked.

"Yeah!" Jason said happily. "What a coincidence that I met her boyfriend by chance!"

"How'd you know we were dating?" I asked carefully.

"Nico told me _all_ about you," Jason said, laughing at Nico's flushed cheeks.

Nico laughed it off. "I knew you looked familiar. You guys have the same eyes," Nico said thoughtfully.

I ran over and kissed his cheek. "Thank you for bringing him to me!" I yelled. I was so happy. Jason was here. I found him. I felt tears of joy fall down my face. Nico wiped them off.

"You guys should go out today and catch up," Nico suggested. "I have some stuff to do around the house." I knew he didn't, but it was sweet how he was trying to give me time to spend with Jason.

"You can come, too," I offered. Nico waved me off.

"Nah. We hang out all the time. You deserve some time with your long lost bro," Nico explained.

Jason offered his hand to Nico. "Thank you so much. And I'm Jason Grace, by the way," he said.

"You didn't even tell him your name?" I asked Jason.

"No, I didn't tell him my last name. I wasn't sure if he was a rapist or something, and I didn't need a stalker," Jason explained. I laughed.

"Him? A rapist?" I fell over in laughter.

Jason shrugged. "He's kinda creepy looking."

Nico beamed. "Thanks!" he said, not faking that happiness. That was a compliment to him. We all sat down to eat our now halfway warm breakfast. I told Nico the whole story about Jason and me.

"Well, when we were younger, Mom gave Jason away because she wanted to keep her baby girl. Don't ask why, because I don't know. I kinda wish she would've given me away first. I was older than him." I frowned.

"Yeah, mom was kind of… Well – " Jason started.

"A cold-hearted, soulless bitch at times?" I finished.

"Yeah," Jason said.

Nico nodded, gesturing for me to go on. "Right, so she gave him away to… Well, I honestly don't know. Where'd she send you, Jason?" I asked.

Jason's expression darkened. "Several foster homes. I got kicked out of every one. Then I met Piper – "

I interrupted him. Wait… "Dark hair? Braids? Eyes change color?"

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Yes…?"

"I met her at school. She's in my math class," I told him.

"Oh, well that's his girlfriend," Nico said bluntly. Jason gave him a look, but he blushed.

I nodded in approval. She was nice. "She's cool. And really pretty. Good job, bro," I said.

Jason beamed at my praise. "Anyways, when I met Piper, her family kinda took me in. She knew what it was like to have famous parents. Her dad's Tristan McLean."

I froze. "The Tristan McLean? Abs from angels?"

Jason nodded and I suppressed a squeal. Tristan McLean was one fine guy. "So, her dad and she took me in, but they didn't make me go to school because I didn't want to. I was homeschooled at all of the foster homes, so I just did some classes online to pass the time while Pipes was gone during the day."

"Are you going to call her?" Nico asked suddenly. Jason looked at him alarmed. "Didn't you guys have a fight?"

"Oh, yeah." Jason relaxed, then tensed up again. "I have to, don't I?" he asked.

I smacked the back of his head. "Well, duh!" I exclaimed.

"Thalia, already beating up on your brother," Nico chided. I rolled my eyes.

"Go call her Jason. Apologize. You can invite her today if you want," I told him. He smiled and left the room to make his call.

"You really missed him, didn't you?" Nico asked me.

I smiled. "I really did. He always had a way to make me laugh when we were younger."

Nico nodded. "He's pretty cool."

"I'm glad you approve," I said, rolling my eyes. Nico leaned forward and kissed me quickly.

"I'm going to grab a shower," he called over his shoulder. I replied and started to pick up dishes. I honestly didn't mind cleaning up. It gave me a goal I could meet.

After a few minutes, Jason came back, visibly happier. "We made up. She freaked when I told her you were my sister," he told me.

"In a good way?" I asked, scared that she secretly hated me.

"No, in a great way! She went on and on about how cool you were," Jason told me. I smiled. "She can't come today though, she's doing some research with her father for a movie. Oh, and Tristan McLean says hi."

I couldn't hold it in. I squealed. Jason laughed loudly and shook his head. "You should've seen your face!" he yelled.

I felt myself frown. "Oh, so it was all a joke," I said sadly.

"No, he really did say that." I jumped up and down once or twice, but instantly regained my composure.

"So, where're we going today?" I asked Jason.

"The skating rink, of course. Remember when we used to go there forever ago?" Jason asked, getting a far away look in his eyes. I pinched his cheek and he gave me an annoyed look.

"Of course I remember! That'll be awesome! We have so much to talk about!" I said happily. I hugged him again. "You need a shower. Nico should be out. Towels are in the closet, third door on the left. It's next to the bathroom," I explained.

"You know his house well," Jason commented.

I rolled my eyes. "Just go," I told him.

Jason smiled at me and went down the hall. Nico emerged from his room shirtless. I sucked in a sharp breath. I know I've seen him with his shirt off before, but Nico's abs are better than Tristan McLean's. No contest. He winked at me when he saw me staring.

"Thalia, have you seen my black shirt?" he asked sarcastically. _All of his shirts were black._

I walked up and kissed him. "Smart ass," I said happily. I touched his muscles for a second and he shivered. I chuckled, happy that I could have such an effect on such a gorgeous guy. "You do need to put on a shirt though."

"Can't resist?" Nico said cockily.

"Well, of course not!" I said, using a fake Southern belle accent. "I just can't resist those mighty fine muscles of yours!"

"Then alas, milady. I shall continue with my chest bare," Nico said, sounding like a medieval knight.

I smacked his arm. "Just get a shirt," I scolded him, but I was smiling at our impressions. He rolled his eyes but ran and got a shirt. I smiled at the fact that it was a t-shirt and not a long sleeved sweater that would boil him alive. Nico jogged into the living room and turned on the TV. He turned on SpongeBob and called for me to sit with him.

I rolled my eyes. "Seriously, SpongeBob?" I asked, even though I loved the show.

Nico shrugged. "Hell yes!" I laughed and leaned my head on his shoulder. We chuckled at the suggestive show and I started tracing circles on Nico's hand. I looked at his wrists and I smiled.

"Nico, they're healing," I said, barely above a whisper. He looked down at his arms and kissed me softly, but it was full of passion.

"Thanks to you," he said sweetly. I beamed and set my sights on the show again. I know it sounds selfish, but I liked being needed. Nico needed me to balance the crazy in his life, and I was happy to oblige.

Jason walked in a few minutes later wearing a black shirt that looked familiar. "He borrowed a shirt," Nico explained, reading my mind. I nodded. They were around the same size.

"Well, come on, Jason!" I exclaimed, jumping up. Nico stood up with me and I kissed him softly. "Thank you! I'll see you later, 'kay?"

Nico blushed and nodded. "Bye, Thalia."

I smiled at him and pulled Jason out the door after me. I finally found my brother.

* * *

Jason and I had a blast at the roller rink. Before I knew it, the place was closing. I was starting to drive us home, but Jason gasped. "What?" I asked, worried.

"Why aren't you taking us to McDonald's? We always went there after skating," Jason said, pouting.

I laughed and made a U-turn. I pulled up to the window and ordered my food, Jason's, and something for Nico. I had to return his car. We were driving home when Animal by Neon Trees came on.

"I freaking love this freaking song!" I exclaimed. Jason and I jammed out, singing every word loudly. We pulled up at Nico's apartment building just as the song ended. We burst into a fit of laughter. "You know, I really missed you, Jason." I suddenly felt sad that I'd missed so much time with him, so much of him growing up.

Jason reached over and touched my shoulder. "I missed you too, Thals. But if we don't get inside and eat, I'm going to die." I laughed at his dramatics but grabbed the food nonetheless. We raced up the stairs and barged into Nico's apartment.

Nico jumped about ten feet in the air and dropped his bowl of ice cream. His face was so sad, I thought he might cry. "Thalia!" Nico complained.

"You're such a kid," I told him, rolling my eyes.

He chuckled and gave me a quick hug. "Have fun, you two?"

Jason and I nodded. "Yeah, it was awesome!" I exclaimed. I handed him the McDonald's bag. "Will this make up for the spilt ice cream?"

Nico's face lit up! "Definitely!" He kissed me and sprinted into the kitchen, forgetting about the ice cream. Jason ran in after him as I rolled my eyes. _Boys._

I soon filed in, finding Nico already on his second cheeseburger. "This is awesome, Thalia," Nico said around a mouthful of food. He swallowed. "Thanks!"

I nodded and ate my own food, devouring a whole large fry. I could put down some fries. I swear they put drugs in them to cause addiction. We kept up a conversation about what we did that day. After we were one eating, Nico and I jogged into the living room.

"Jason!" Nico yelled.

"Yeah?"

"Get the hell in here!" Nico shouted. Jason ran in.

"What did I do?" he asked frantically.

Nico and I laughed. "Nothing," I said. "We just need help picking a movie." Jason relaxed and settled into a chair. "We can watch anything on Netflix."

"Are you guys feeling serious? Scary? Funny?" Nico asked.

"Scary and corny," Jason said without hesitation. I nodded in agreement. We picked some movie that looked horribly cheesy called Thankskilling. It was about some people who get killed during Thanksgiving by an evil, poorly animated turkey. We laughed at the horrible graphics and after about an hour, we couldn't take it anymore.

"Turn on something at least halfway decent," I said. Nico smiled. "No, not SpongeBob!" I complained jokingly.

"Heck yes, SpongeBob!" Jason said seriously.

I rolled my eyes but I laughed. "If you must," I said with a sigh. Nico bounced on his heels as he ran back to the couch. Jason punched the air. We watched several episodes of SpongeBob, and I remembered the ice cream. I got up to clean it and Nico gave me a pleading look, thinking I was leaving. "I'm cleaning up your mess," I explained. He relaxed and nodded.

"Thanks." I went into the kitchen and searched for a towel. Once again, there was nothing.

"Nico, I either need your shirt again or a dish rag!" I yelled. I heard Nico laugh and Jason ask what I meant.

"Something that happened a while ago. I had to take off my shirt because Thalia cut her finger. She was blushing _so_ bad when she saw me shirtless!" Nico told Jason, much to my embarrassment. Jason chuckled.

"Nico!" I protested, my face cherry red again.

"No, seriously, dude. She was red as a fire truck." Jason laughed loudly and I smacked the back of Nico's head.

"Really, Nico? Really?" I asked him, annoyed.

"Yep," he said, kissing me lightly, melting my annoyance. He ran off in search of a rag. I sighed heavily and Jason smirked at me.

"What?" I asked. Jason shook his head and grinned. "No, really. Tell me," I ordered.

"You guys just remind me of Piper and I. You seem competitive with each other, but in a joking way. Oh, and I was laughing because of how red your face is," he stated.

I ignored the last comment. "You should invite her out tomorrow. We can do a double date." Jason raised an eyebrow. "Unless you'd rather be the awkward third wheel."

"In that case, I'll text her now," Jason said, pulling out his phone and typing a message. Nico ran back in with a wet towel. He handed it to me and picked up his bowl and spoon as I cleaned up the melted ice cream. Nico brought his things to the kitchen and came back to help me out.

"She says yes," Jason announced.

"Who is 'she' and what is she saying yes to?" Nico asked.

"'She' is Piper. I told Jason to ask her to go out with us tomorrow on a double date." Nico nodded in approval.

"Awesome!" he said, doing a classic guy handshake with Jason.

"You guys are getting along famously," I noted. They both shrugged.

"Yeah, he's cool," Jason said.

"And he's pretty cool, too." Nico looked to Jason. "Hey, man, if you ever need a place to stay or chill out, you're welcome here."

Jason smiled and nodded appreciatively. "Thanks, Nico." Nico nodded at him and I stood up to take the rag to the laundry room. I gave him a look that told him to follow me. He followed after me.

Once we were in the laundry room, I turned to face him. "Nico, that was really sweet of you, to offer that to Jason. Thank you for being so nice to him," I said, wrapping Nico in a hug.

He hugged me back. "Thalia, anyone related to you is family. You pretty much saved my life," he said quietly. I buried my face in his chest. I rested in his arms for a few seconds then pulled away.

"Come on," I said, pulling him back to the living room. "I'm getting popcorn," I announced. "Who wants some?"

"Of you?" Nico asked with a devilish grin. "Definitely me."

"Whoa, man," Jason said warningly, but he ended up laughing when Nico did.

I blushed and rolled my eyes. "I meant the popcorn," I said.

"We know!" Jason and Nico said in unison. They told me that they'd both like some, so I went into the kitchen and made the popcorn. I passed out bowls and we spent the night watching SpongeBob.

My life couldn't get any better. I had an amazing, gorgeous, caring boyfriend who I'm falling for. I smiled to myself, remembering how he told me that on the roller coaster. I was slowly healing him, making him whole once again. I could see him changing every day, becoming more alive. He still wore Bianca's necklace every day, and I loved that. I loved and admired the fact that he cared about her so much.

My brother was back. After so long, he's back. I had missed him, and I couldn't wait to start hanging out with him again. It was great that he was dating Piper. She seemed very sweet and down to earth. I looked up at Nico's smiling face and felt a rush of emotion for him. Even after he's been through so much, he's still found a way to love. He's so selfless, which is something I could only dream to be. I cuddled closer to him and he wrapped an arm around me, making me feel safe, for the moment.

;;;


	12. Chapter XI - Nico & Thalia

_Summary: Thalia's mother doesn't exactly care and Nico isn't exactly okay. When Thalia moves to San Francisco, she gets new friends, a loving family, and, who knows? She might even fall in love if she's lucky. Two darkened pasts; can they find solace in one another?_

Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or characters I adopt from those books. Merely the characterization and plot are mine.

Chapter XI; Nico/Thalia

;;;

"Thalia! You look gorgeous!" I heard a voice scream as we entered the restaurant. It was a little Italian place in the middle of nowhere, but Jason and Piper claimed it was the best in town.

"I agree," I added, smiling at Thalia. She was wearing a casual black dress, nothing special, but absolutely stunning. Piper was in a white dress, but Jason and I were in simple jeans and dress shirts.

Thalia blushed and said her thanks. "Hey! So, I'm Jessica and I'll be your waiter and hostess for tonight. Follow me!" a young blonde girl told us, leading us to our table. We took our seats and she beamed at us. "Can I start you four off with some drinks?"

"Dr. Pepper," Thalia and I said in unison. I laughed lightly.

"You two are so cute! How long have you been together?" Jessica, our friendly and slightly nosy waiter asked.

"A few weeks," Thalia said.

"Four weeks and two days," I whispered in her ear. She grinned at me.

"Aw, how adorable. You guys are definitely in love. What about you two?" Jessica asked, gesturing to Jason and Piper. "Dating? Best friends that are secretly in love?"

Jason stuttered to reply, but Piper saved him. "Dating. But only for a few weeks. We were best friends before," she said without missing a beat.

Jessica beamed. "Oh, love is in the air! I love cute couples! Anyways, what can I get you two?" she asked, pointing a lazy finger at Piper and Jason.

"Sweet tea," Piper said politely.

"Chocolate milkshake," Jason stated firmly. All eyes went to him. "What? They have them here. And they are awesome!"

I laughed and the waitress left our table. "She was nosy," Thalia said.

"I know, right? Jeez, did she want me to describe every second of our life together?" I said, agreeing. Jason and Piper nodded in agreement.

"So, Thalia, how are you?" Piper asked.

Thalia laughed. "Uh, Piper, I see you every day in math. I want to know how a girl from my math class was dating my brother. And how I didn't know about it. Also, I thought was gone for a long time and I didn't have a clue!"

They both shrugged. "Well, for one, I had no clue you and Piper were friends," Jason offered.

"And I had no clue he was your brother. The topic of relationships never really came up during class," Piper added.

Thalia seemed to find this acceptable because she nodded her head slowly. "I see."

Jessica stopped by and dropped off our drinks and took our orders for food. After she left, I picked up Jason's milkshake. "Whoa!" he yelled, reaching for it.

"I'm just trying it! You said it was amazing," I told him. He backed down and scooped some of it with my spoon.

It really was amazing. It was the perfect blend of chocolate, but there was the slight taste of vanilla in it. "Oh, wow. That's really good," I said. Jason smiled at me triumphantly as Thalia snatched it from me and took a sip, not bothering to get a spoon. She made a small sound of approval and passed it to Piper.

"Gross, you guys! I'm going to get all of you guys' diseases!" Jason said.

"You think I have diseases?" Thalia asked.

"No, but you kissed him. And I don't know what he's got," Jason joked.

I laughed. "I don't have anything. But I don't know about Thalia here," I said, shooting a sideways glance at Thalia.

She was full on glaring at me. "Nico…" she warned.

"Thalia…" I said, just as warningly. I leaned forward and kissed her, causing her tense anger to melt. I laughed into the kiss at how quickly she melted around me.

"Dude!" Jason said, pushing my head away. "She's my sister."

"And?" I questioned, laughing a little, knowing he was just being brotherly.

"So, don't make-out with her in front of me," Jason said. "It's weird. And gross."

Thalia rolled her eyes. "We weren't making out!" she told Jason, who glared at me for a second. "Jason, stop getting so jealous and focus on your pretty girlfriend next to you," Thalia said.

Jason blushed and smiled bashfully at Piper. "You really do look pretty. Gorgeous, dare I say," he said, winking at Piper.

Piper leaned forward and kissed him. Thalia gently pushed Piper's head away. "Dude! He's my brother!" she said, mocking Jason. We all laughed as Jason rolled his eyes, grumbling about how he got the point.

We ate our food, carrying on friendly banter, Jason glaring at me every time I flirted with Thalia, causing me to smile at how much of a brother he way. _What would Bianca be doing if she was here? What if this was really a triple date and she was with that Malcolm kid she used to have a crush on?_I smiled to myself. _Bianca would go on and on about how 'ah-dorable' we all are. If me and Thalia kissed, she'd probably squeal happily._

Thalia touched my arm lightly, a very simple gesture, but one that I knew was full of care. I looked to her, and her eyes looked sad. "I know you're thinking about her," she said lowly, only loud enough for me to hear. I looked down and she grabbed my hand, squeezing it. "You know what's weird? I miss her and I didn't even know her," Thalia said lightly, causing me to laugh a little. Piper and Jason were having their own conversation about something.

"You would have loved her, Thalia. Seriously. You guys probably would've been really close," I said, a little bit of sadness tingeing my words. Thalia kissed my shoulder and leaned her head on it. I leaned my head on hers, quite comfortable.

"Really, bro? Cuddling with my sister?" a voice asked.

"Jason!" Thalia groaned, causing both me and Piper to laugh.

"Come on, let's go. The movie's at eight," Piper said. We paid our waitress and left a tip. Even if she was nosy, at least she got the job done. We rode in our separate cars to the cinema a few miles down the road.

I paid for all the tickets since Jason covered dinner. We walked into the movie theatre and I threw my arm over Thalia's shoulder. We went to stand in line at the concession stand.

"Hey," the girl behind the counter said, eyeing Jason. Her eyes briefly scanned over Piper, but she turned back to Jason. "So, what can I get for you?" she asked sweetly, addressing Jason. I glanced at her name tag which read 'Callie'.

"Two large popcorns, four medium drinks, Mike Ikes," he turned to us. Thalia pointed at something in the case. "And chocolate covered cookie dough bites," Jason finished.

"Coming right up," the girl, Callie, said flirtatiously, winking at Jason. She walked away, heading to get our popcorn.

"Am I invisible or something?" Piper asked, glaring daggers at the girls back.

"No way," Jason said. "She made a point to ignore you. You're way too gorgeous to be invisible," he said sweetly.

Thalia gagged. "Sorry, that was the cheesiest thing I've ever heard," she said, not the least bit apologetic.

"Even cheesier than when I said I would catch you after you told me you were falling for me?" I asked, smiling down at her.

"Sorry, my bad. That is the _second_ cheesiest thing I've ever heard," she corrected herself.

"Here you go," Callie said, thrusting out a large popcorn to Jason. She turned to me and gave a million dollar smile. "Oh, hey. Here," Callie said, handing me the other one. The girl glanced me over up and down.

"Oh hell no," Thalia mumbled under her breath.

"Excuse me?" Callie asked.

"Can you stop eye-raping my boyfriend?" Thalia asked sassily.

Callie looked taken aback. "Oh. I didn't notice he was taken. Doesn't bother me if it doesn't bother you," she said, winking at me. _God, that is gross. She is coming on way too strong._

"Uh, it does bother me. She's my girlfriend, not you, and I'd like to keep it that way, thank you. So how about you just turn around and get us the rest of our stuff so we can leave before you embarrass yourself any further?" I asked.

Callie gave me a shocked look. _Well, she's obviously not used to rejection._"But–"

"Just get the candy and drinks!" Thalia and Piper snapped in unison, causing Jason and I to chuckle.

Callie huffed loudly and handed us the rest of our stuff. "What all do you want to drink?" she asked icily. We got our drinks quickly and rushed to the movie.

"What a whore," Thalia said.

"I know!" Piper said. "First she's practically on top of Jason, then she just about jumps over the counter to grind on Nico! Jeez! And we were right there!"

"She was pretty though," Thalia said, sounding discouraged. By now, Thalia and Piper were walking in front of Jason and I.

"I know," Piper said, sighing. I nudged Jason and gestured to our girls, and he instantly caught onto my plan. We grabbed their arms at the same time and turned them around.

"No contest to you," I said to Thalia.

"And definitely no contest for Piper," Jason said, staring down at her. I leaned down and kissed Thalia, and for once, Jason didn't gripe at me. I gripped her hand, holding the popcorn in my other arm.

"Nice job, boys. That was a good plan," Piper praised us.

"Thanks," we both said.

"It worked," Thalia said as we all entered the theatre. We picked seats a few rows from the back and sat in the dead middle. I put my arm over the back of Thalia's seat. Jason yawned dramatically and slung his arm over Piper's shoulders, causing her to laugh.

I smiled. Even though I'm a guy, I can say that they were a good couple. Jason was mostly serious, but Piper was good balance for him. I turned my attention to Thalia who was intently watching previews. I kissed her temple, closing my eyes and burying my nose in her hair.

"You look gorgeous," I murmured.

"You look decent," Thalia joked. I loved that. It drove me crazy, but I loved it. I loved when she acted like she could care less about me. I laughed lightly as I saw the wry smile on her face. I kissed her cheek and set my sights on the previews, too.

Soon enough, the movie started, but I was hardly watching it. I was stealing glances at Thalia, wondering how I was so lucky to get her.

;;

The double date between Jason, Piper, Thalia and I was awesome. For once, I felt like I was a part of something. Like, maybe I had a family after all.

Oh, how wrong I was. It's been a month since that date, where I had felt closer to Thalia than ever.

Ever since the date, I was constantly being ditched by Thalia. Her and Jason came over to hang out sometimes, but they always left soon after. The first time, I shrugged it off. They were still making up for lost time. So, I used the same excuse the second time. And the third time. I even used it the fourth time.

Thalia and I were growing apart, and it was shattering me. I was so used to having her in my life, and I didn't mind sharing her. I knew she wasn't my property. I just wasn't expecting to hardly ever see her, even at school.

I'll say it. I was jealous. Thalia had been spending pretty much every day with me before he got here. I wasn't mad that she was spending time with him. I knew how much she missed him. I was upset that she was hardly talking to me.

I haven't seen hardly any of Thalia in a week. Occasionally, I'll get a text telling me that she's okay. But I miss her. I know it's selfish, but she was the glue holding together my sad, pathetic, broken life. Finally, I saw her at her locker at school.

I came up behind her and kissed her cheek. "I haven't seen you in forever," I whispered against her neck. She turned around in my arms.

"Yeah," she said. "I've been catching up with Jason." I nodded in understanding. I did get it, but that didn't mean I wasn't jealous.

"Well, I miss you," I told her.

"I'm with you all the time," Thalia said.

"You used to be," I said under my breath as I pulled away and opened my locker.

Thalia was raising an eyebrow. "So now I can't hang out with my brother who I haven't seen in over ten years? What the hell, Nico?"

If there's anything I hate more than peas, it's being accused. "I never said that, Thalia. I don't mind that you're hanging out with your brother. I just wish you'd talk to me too," I said, trying to keep my voice down.

"I talk to you all the time!" Thalia argued.

"You used to," I said. As soon as I said them, I wished I could take it back. This is a pointless argument. I can't get angry. "Look, Thalia, I'm–"

"No! You look, Nico! Ever since I got here I've been spending practically every waking moment with you when no one else would! I can't spend a little time with Jason? It's been over ten years!" Thalia was yelling now and everyone was watching us.

"I know that, Thalia! But just because your brother comes back, that doesn't mean you have to exile your boyfriend!" I yelled. She stared at me, surprised. I had never yelled at her unless we were joking around._Crap._ I could feel my anger on the rise.

"I'm not, Nico! You know that if Bianca came back –" she started.

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY HER NAME! You have no right!" I exploded. I was shaking from anger, sadness, jealousy, and despair about losing my sister. Her eyes flashed as she realized what she said, but it went away and she got a look of disgust on her face.

"I can't believe you. I was the only one who took you in, the only one who cared about you, and this is how you repay me? What's going on, Nico?" The bell rang and most people scurried off to their classes, trying to get out of our way before we start yelling again.

I couldn't speak. I didn't trust my voice. I was taking shallow breaths and trying desperately to calm my anger. I leaned my head against my locker, trying to calm myself. This is why I never yelled. Thalia didn't need to see this side of me. "Nico, are you okay?" she asked emotionlessly. I could see that she was worry in her eyes though.

I shook my head and simply left, running to my car. I heard Thalia call after me once, but I ignored her. She couldn't see how I acted when I was truly angry. My mind went blank and I went on a rampage, knocking everything over and screaming at the top of my lungs. My mind goes blank, and the only emotion I feel is anger. It happened a few times after Bianca.

I turned up my music full blast, but even that couldn't block out my thoughts. _How dare she speak of Bianca? That's none of her damn business! She's the one who ditched me! I've been trying to hang out with her._

I felt my phone vibrate, getting a call. I ignored it. I was driving a little recklessly, I'll admit. My music was up so loud, I didn't even hear a few horns honk. I didn't see the red light at the four way intersection. I kept driving.

Out of nowhere, I felt a huge impact. Cars collided with mine on both sides, one at the side of the hood and one on the opposite side on the trunk. My car to be spin around quickly and I felt a rush of dizziness. Searing pain shot up arm, and I knew for sure that my arm was broken in a few places. My head hit the back of my seat hard, and I gasped. I heard screams, but I have no clue if they were mine or others. _Thalia. Thalia. Thalia._ I felt like memories were sliding away from me. Why was I mad? Why am I not at school? School's not over yet. Is it?

I heard sirens as I fell unconscious.

;; Thalia ;;

I sighed heavily after I watched Nico's car speed from the parking lot. Something was wrong. He looked like he was on the edge of a break down. I wanted to go after him, but I remembered why we were fighting in the first place and I rolled my eyes. _Am I not allowed to hang out with my brother? He's acting like I'm his property._

I walking into class, late, and I got a glare from my teacher. I returned the glare and took a seat at the back. "Thalia, what's wrong?" a voice asked.

I whipped my head in the direction of the speaker. Percy. "Oh, um, nothing."

Percy raised an eyebrow. "Thalia…" he warned.

I let out a breath I'd been holding in. "Nico and I had a fight. A really bad one."

"Is that what I heard in the hallway?" Percy asked.

I shrugged. "I wouldn't be surprised. I was sort of freaking out on him." I felt a surge of regret. "But he freaked on me too! He pretty much told me that I was ditching him to hang out with my brother who I haven't seen in over ten years. Over ten years!"

Percy nodded sympathetically. "Thalia, look at it from Nico's point of view. I see your point, I really do. I probably would've gotten upset, too. But think about it: Nico's had no one his whole life, and he's been left by every person who's ever meant anything to him. His parents and Bianca, even though she didn't intentionally leave. He blames himself for all that, and he's only angry at himself for pushing you away."

I thought about this. It was true, but he didn't have to start shouting at me. "You're right, okay?" I muttered. Percy gave me a sad smile. "But he really didn't have to start getting so mad so fast! Everyone was watching us!" I complained.

Percy looked a bit uncomfortable. "Um, Thalia, he didn't tell you?"

I raised an eyebrow. "About what?" I asked.

He shifted in his seat. "Nico's been diagnosed with some… things."

I tensed. "He has cancer?"

Percy looked alarmed. "Oh, god, no! He has some disorders."

I nodded. "Yeah, ADHD and dyslexia, I knew that."

Percy shook his head and cleared his throat. "Thalia, he has anger issues. It was side effects of his depression over his sister. He's bipolar and he has something that I think is called Intermittent Explosive Disorder. If his temper gets out of control, he completely freaks. Throwing things, yelling, blinded by emotions and lots of madness. Sometimes even violence."

"So… he's crazy?" I asked quietly. "Why didn't he tell me, Percy?"

He shrugged. "I wouldn't say he's crazy. Troubled maybe, but not crazy. He… He really cares about you, Thals. Maybe he didn't want to worry you. I'm not going to be the one to tell you the words he wants to say, but just know that he cares."

I tried to absorb this. My thoughts were interrupted by a phone ringing. I looked around for the culprit, and I heard Percy start coughing obnoxiously. He gave me a meaningful look. Our teacher was so absorbed in her work, she didn't notice.

"Thalia!" Percy hissed, pointing at my bag. _Oh, my phone's ringing!_

I pulled the phone from my bag and talking resumed. I didn't recognize the number, but I answered. "Hello?"

"Hello. Is this Miss Thalia Jennings?" a lady with a curt voice said.

"Um, yes ma'am?" I said, though it sounded more like a question.

"Well, we're going to need you to report to the East Sumter Hospital. We have a boy here, and we couldn't find anyone related to him, but we found your name in some of his records–" My heartbeat sped up. My first thought was that it was Jason.

"Honey, he's in the ICU. You're going to want to hurry," she urged.

"Name?" I choked out.

"Oh, sweetie, his name is Nico. Nico di–" I hung up, breathing heavy. I felt like I was going to have a panic attack. My head ached.

"Thalia, what's wrong?" Percy asked worriedly.

"Nico," I said quickly, feeling tears fall from my eyes as I jumped up from my seat, snatching up my bag but forgetting my books and all my work.

"Miss Jennings!" my teacher called after me. I heard someone running behind me.

"Thalia, what hospital?" I heard someone ask. I didn't even dwell on the fact that I'd never told him Nico was in a hospital.

"East Sumter!" I yelled through my tears.

"I'll get everyone else. Go!" Percy shouted. I didn't need to be told twice. I ran to the road, hailing a taxi quickly.

"East Sumter Hospital, quick!" I practically screamed at the driver.

"Okay, lady!" he replied. He started driving just as frantically as I wanted him to. We had to take a detour because of some crash at the intersection. I glanced over at the wreck and saw a mutilated black car that looked familiar.

"The Hearse! Shit, shit, shit! Please drive faster!" I cried. I sat in the backseat, sobbing. We pulled up to the hospital after what felt like hours. I threw the driver the first bill I found. It was a twenty, and there was no way this ride was that pricey. I didn't care. I threw it at him and sprinted to the doors.

I approached the receptionist and said his name threw my tears. "Are you Miss Jennings?" she asked me.

"Yes!" I yelled, exasperated.

"You may be here a while, sweetie. They're doing some surgery," she said sympathetically. I knew it was fake. The doctors or nurses never cared.

"What happened?" I asked through gritted teeth.

She sighed. "There was a bad wreck at the intersection with the fast food restaurants all around. Mr. di Angelo was in it. He was badly injured, his arm probably the worst. He's fractured it in several places, and his jaw is dislocated. He hit his head pretty hard. He's pretty bruised up, but the doctors believe he'll be okay, Miss Jennings." I started crying even harder. "I'm Miss Penny. You'll have to stay right here, but let me know if you need anything. We have a café just down that hall, and the bathrooms are next to it. I'll give you news as soon as I can, honey."

"Thank you," I choked out. I tried to entertain myself, but my thought kept straying to how this was my fault. If I wouldn't have been ignoring him, we wouldn't have fought. If we wouldn't have fought, then he never would have left school and driven recklessly. He never would have wrecked. He never would have got hurt. I felt my heart hurting terribly._He cares about you_, I assured myself. Percy told me that. It may be the only thing to get me through.

A few minutes later, Percy along with a misty-eyed Annabeth burst through the doors, followed by all Nico's other friends. I saw Connor, Travis, Jason, Grover and Beckendorf. This made me bawl terribly. They all rushed to my side, and Piper, Silena, Annabeth, Juniper and Katie all started either holding my hands or patting my back. Even the guys crowded around me. Finally, I jumped up and hugged Jason. One sob-fest and a large group hug later, I finally calmed down enough to tell them what happened.

I told them what Miss Penny had told me, and all the girls including myself with still sniffling, the guys looking grim. "It's all my fault," I told them quietly.

"No, don't so that," Annabeth said. "Don't put the blame on yourself."

I felt more tears fall. "But it is. I was neglecting him to hang out with Jason, and that's what we fought about. He got really upset and left, driving. He probably wasn't paying attention, absorbed in his thoughts about us and got in the wreck."

"I'm sorry, Thalia," Jason said, pain evident in his eyes. Nico had become an idol of his. He had shared with me that he thought Nico was really cool. "I shouldn't have kept you to myself. It was selfish. I didn't even think about how much Nico needed you."

I shook my head. "It's not your fault, Jason." We all kept quiet for a few minutes, and I calmed down a little.

"So, wouldn't it be ironic to die in a living room?" Percy asked, obviously trying to change the subject. I laughed, despite the situation.

I could only hope for the best from now on. Miss Penny walked up. "How is he?" I asked anxiously.

Miss Penny smiled at me sadly. "He's definitely better. They're succeeding with the surgery on his arm, and they're working on his jaw. They'll have to do some test to see if there is any brain damage, but he's stable for the time being. He'll be moved from the ICU in a day or two."

I stood up shakily and hugged her, saying thank you. Miss Penny patted my back. "You better get something to eat, dear. You're looking frail. I'll be sure to get you if we hear more," she told me.

"Yes ma'am," I said. I turned to everyone else. "The café?" They all muttered agreements, and Annabeth held my hand for support. I was glad to have her.

We all got food and ate half heartedly. Silena, a girl who I had gotten pretty close with since she was my only friend in history, handed me a wet towelette. "I know you could care less about how you look, but this will help you feel better," she told me sweetly.

I wiped my face, giving a small smile when I saw the amount of black make-up all over the wipe. The smell calmed me, was it lavender? After we ate, Percy came up to me. "Thalia, I have to get home to my mom. She'll be worried, and I still have to tell her about Nico…" he trailed off.

"Percy, it's fine. Go home," I told him. "Just come back when you can, Annabeth will need you."

He nodded. "She thinks of Nico as her little brother." Percy gave me a quick hug and told me to stay strong. As he was walking away, I called out to him.

"Percy!" He turned. "Um, can you bring me something of his? A jacket, a blanket? Anything. I just need…" My voice faded out. I honestly just missed his woodsy scent, and I wanted to feel closer to him.

"I get it, Thals. I'll stop by his apartment on my way back," he told me. I nodded my thanks and turned back to the rest of my friends. We went back to the waiting room and gathered in a circle.

"Dears?" Miss Penny asked. "There is a conference room, just over there. I'm afraid that you all may be here a while, and there is a phone in there you may use to call home. Also, there is a computer for internet usage. Let me know if you need anything more," she told us.

We all chorused a 'thank you' and headed to the room. I called Mrs. Christine. She picked up on the second ring. "Hello?" she asked anxiously.

"Mrs. Christine, it's Thalia. Annabeth is next to me and we are perfectly safe."

"Where are you?"

"We're at the hospital. Nico was in an accident, and I came here as soon as I heard. We've already eaten, so don't worry about that. We'll be home as soon as we can," I told her.

"Alright, Thalia. I love you both, please tell Annabeth that!" she chirped. I said goodbye. Annabeth and her stepmother have bonded with each other lately.

"Mrs. Christine loves you," I told Annabeth. She nodded. "Who's next?" I asked. We went around the table, all calling our parents and telling them we were fine. Beckendorf and Katie both had to leave because they're parents were worried. I gave them both hugs and told them it was fine as they apologized. Travis and Silena walked their significant others out.

After they returned, we started talking, sharing memories and moments with Nico. I had more than everyone else of course, but mine were more personal; just for Nico and I. I didn't share the majority of mine. I smiled as I remembered the day at the amusement park. The night I texted him and snuck out at 3 AM. Our first kiss, which turned into a seriously amazing make-out session, full of tension from the several times we almost kissed, but never got to continue. Singing at the top of our lungs to You're My Best Friend By Queen. The date with Piper and Jason. The time where he cared for me when I cut myself by accident. He was so gentle with me, as though I were made of glass.

"And there was this one time when he totally shamed the teacher in Greek. Mrs. Kempton didn't even know what he was saying because he could speak so fluently!" Connor bragged on him.

"I know! He knew all of the names of the gods and what their duties were!" Travis said, bewildered. I chuckled under my breath, knowing the reason for that was Mythomagic.

Percy arrived a few minutes later. He kissed Annabeth's cheek, making me wince a little, because it reminded me of Nico. Percy tossed me a black leather jacket and I beamed at him. "Thank you," I said earnestly. Percy nodded and I wrapped Nico's jacket around me. It smelled just like him, and even comforted me.

Percy shared a few stories and we laughed. I got on the internet and started playing music on Pandora. We even sang along sometimes. To anyone else, I would've looked happy, but I was full of guilt and worry.

I heard a knock at the door and I nearly fell out of my chair. Miss Penny entered. "Thalia, I'll need to speak with you outside," she said with a forced smile. I took a deep breath and followed her.

"Dear, they have repaired his arm and his jaw. All his other injuries are minor and will heal on their own–"

"That's great!" I exclaimed, feeling truly happy.

Miss Penny looked to the floor. "Well, sweetie, there's one other thing," she said, obviously uncomfortable. "His drugs should be out of his system by now."

"And?" I prompted.

"Well, he still hasn't woken up," she said softly. She hurried on after seeing my scared expression. "He's still breathing normally. He's stable. However, he's in what the doctors think is a temporary coma. They firmly believe he'll wake up, but when he does…" she trailed off, not sure how to go on.

"Miss Penny, please just tell me," I said.

"He may have some memory loss. Nothing big, dear! Just recent events." My heart nearly stopped, and I felt tears fall down my face.

"How recent?" I asked, barely above a whisper.

"Just the past days, if even that long," she said. I breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe we can just forget the fight. I don't want to fight. "Thalia, if you don't mind me asking, are you his girlfriend?"

I smiled. "Yes ma'am."

"Well, as his girlfriend, and since he has no immediate family, I believe I can let you see him. The doctors are done working on him for now," Miss Penny said. I jumped up and down and hugged her.

"Thank you. It would mean the world. Can I talk to my friends first?" I asked. She nodded and I slipped back into the conference room.

"Bottom line, he's in a coma." Everyone gasped, and Annabeth cried a little more. Guys comforted the girls. "However, Miss Penny says she's letting me go see him."

"That's great!" Grover and Percy said at the same time. The grinned at each other and turned to me.

"Well, go!" Juniper urged.

"Wait, one more thing: he may have lost some of his memory, but just recent things. Like, a few days." Everyone nodded and rushed me out the door, knowing I needed to see him.

;;

Miss Penny walked me to his room and allowed me in. I kept my eyes closed, preparing myself. When I opened them, I'm ashamed to say that I started crying for the thousandth time that day. I saw a frail, pale Nico with bruises and cuts. His arm was in a cast, and there was something holding his jaw in place.

I went to his side and held his hand. I decided that I was going to sing to him. He loved my voice, and I needed him to hear it. "Nico, it's Thalia," I told him. "I feel a little ridiculous talking to you, not knowing if you're hearing me. This must be how Annabeth feels all the time, because we both know Percy never listens." I chuckled and kissed Nico's cheek. A song came to my mind. "Your Guardian Angel by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus," I announced, knowing that he loved the band.

I started off the song, singing quietly so that people walking by couldn't hear me, but loud enough for me to believe Nico was hearing.

The song had always meant a lot to me, seeing as The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus was one of my favorite bands. The song was called 'Your Guardian Angel'-my favorite by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus-and it was everything I needed to say right now. I felt my eyes well up a few times, but I didn't let my voice shake. If he could hear me, I wanted it to be perfect, for him.

When I finished, I squeezed his hand. "Wake up for me. Soon. I… I'm really sorry and –" Whoa. I almost said 'I love you'. I paused. Did I? I frowned at myself for a second. I'd never told anyone I loved them, besides Jason and my mother, in her better years.

"I love you," I said to him, out loud, testing to words. They felt right, and I smiled, almost crying again. I guess I really did love him. "I love you a lot, and I really need you to wake up." I kissed his cheek and rested my forehead on his for a brief second. I knew my friends would be waiting on me, so I gave him one last look before I slipped out of the room.

I headed back to our conference room and I saw Juniper passed out, laying on Grover's lap. Annabeth was leaning on Percy's shoulder, and Percy was resting his head on hers. Silena, Travis and Connor were carrying on a conversation. Piper and Jason were Google-ing random things to pass the time and Grover was playing with Juniper's hair absently.

As soon as I shut the door, everyone, even those sleeping, woke up and looked to me. Everyone besides Percy. "Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth said, trying to wake him up. She pulled his hair and punched his arms as we laughed. Finally, she pressed the button that make the chair lower.

That definitely woke him up. He fell out of the seat and gave Annabeth a glare. We all laughed and he blushed, getting up. "Sorry, Percy. But you were sleeping like a rock!" Annabeth told him.

Percy grumbled angrily and sat back in his seat. Annabeth touched his hand, and all of his grumpiness went away. He calmed and smiled. "So, how was he?" Percy asked.

"That sounds suggestive," Travis said. We all stared at him blankly. _What?_

"Ooooh!" I said, getting it. I laughed. "Wow, you think I would take advantage of him in his state?" I asked, willing everyone else to get it.

Slowly, everyone laughed. Percy frowned, thinking.

"Oh! I get it!" he said, cracking up about twenty seconds after all of us.

After we calmed down our teenage immaturity, I began to explain. "He looks weak and pale. He has bruises and scars, his arm's in a cast and there's this thing holding his jaw in place," I said, using my hands to talk. "I… I sang to him. And talked to him, and told him I loved him," I said quickly, hoping no one would hear the last part. I hadn't meant to say that.

Percy and Annabeth gave me identical knowing smiles. "You do?" Annabeth asked, sounding as though she knew the answer.

"Well, duh!" Silena exclaimed. "They're, like, the cutest!"

I blushed and laughed. "Congrats," Travis said happily, probably thinking of Katie.

"Thanks. But anyways, he looked a lot better than I thought he would." Jason still looked guilty, but Piper whispered something to him and he nodded. It was probably a reassurance, because he looked better after that. Everyone looked really tired. "You guys can go home. I promise to call as soon as I hear anything," I told them.

Jason stood up and hugged me, saying he was sorry and Piper squeezed my hand and said her goodbyes.

Travis, Connor and Silena stood. "We should be getting home," Travis said.

"Yeah, mom doesn't like when we stay out too late. It's already ten," Connor added.

"I'm their ride," Silena explained. I nodded and gave them all hugs, saying goodbye and vowing to call.

"Grover, take Juniper home," I ordered. They both looked too tired to argue and gave me their goodbyes. I turned to Percy and Annabeth, but Annabeth glared at me.

"If you even _think_ about trying to get us to leave, I'll put you in this hospital," Annabeth threatened. I laughed and put my hands up in the general 'I surrender!' gesture.

Percy chuckled. "Do you ladies want some coffee? Percy wants hot chocolate. Percy wants _Starbucks'_ hot chocolate."

"Thalia wants black coffee," I said.

"Annabeth wants a venti chai tea latte with non-fat milk, no water and light whip cream." Percy and I shared a look and burst out laughing. "What?" she asked indignantly.

"Nothing, it's just funny how specific you are," I said. Percy nodded in agreement.

"Whatever," she grumbled. Percy kissed her cheek, and she softened, but didn't uncross her arms.

"I'll go get us some Starbucks then. There's one right around the corner," Percy said.

"Drive safe," I said quietly. Annabeth squeezed my hand and Percy told me he would. As soon as Percy left, Annabeth turned to me, sounding truly like a girl.

"Oh my god, spill!" she yelled.

"What?" I asked, startled.

Annabeth rolled her eyes and smiled. "When did you fall for ole Nico?"

I grinned and blushed. "Oh… Well, I don't know when. I just noticed it in the room with him. God, I felt like my soul shattered when I heard about his accident. And at the amusement park, when I was riding a roller coaster for the first time, I forced him to tell me something comforting. He told me he was falling for me."

"Aww!" Annabeth said. "How adorable!"

I laughed. "You sound so girly!" I accused.

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever! This is so great!"

"Why?"

"You guys are the cutest thing, like Silena said," Annabeth explained calmly. Miss Penny burst into the room.

"Thalia, something's happened!" she yelled.

"What? Miss Penny?" I ran up to her.

She took a deep breath. "Sweetie, his heart rate sped up really fast, then his heart stopped for a few seconds. They're trying everything they can, but his heart is coming in and out. He's no longer stable."

And that's when I cried for the thousandth and one time that day.

;;;


	13. Chapter XII - Thalia

_Summary: Thalia's mother doesn't exactly care and Nico isn't exactly okay. When Thalia moves to San Francisco, she gets new friends, a loving family, and, who knows? She might even fall in love if she's lucky. Two darkened pasts; can they find solace in one another?_

Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or characters I adopt from those books. Merely the characterization and plot are mine.

Chapter XII; Thalia

;;;

I pushed past Miss Penny and sprinted to his room. She called after me, but I blocked her out. "Oh, my god," I said over and over. Finally, I reached his room and barged in. Silence. No heartbeat. I closed my eyes, refusing to look. I could feel my world turning black and white, colorless without him.

_Beep._ My eyes flew open and I ran to his side, holding onto his hand for dear life. "You will _not_ die. I will never forgive you," I said in a shockingly calm voice. "Please."

Miss Penny walked in, looking upset. "Now, Thalia – "

"What can we do? I need him to wake up, Miss Penny. I need…" I trailed off as silent tears fell. She looked at me sadly, then thought about what to say for a few minutes as I squeezed Nico's hand.

"He needs blood. He lost so much in the accident," she told me.

"And? The problem is?" _Wasn't there blood banks here or something?_

"He needs AB negative, Thalia. That's the most uncommon type, I'm sure you know," Miss Penny said sadly.

I closed my eyes and sighed. "There's none at all? None?"

Miss Penny gave me a sad look. "I'm afraid not. And in order to get some, it could take a while ordering it. And we don't know how much time he has…" she trailed off.

Suddenly, I got a though. "Miss Penny?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Can you do me a favor?" I asked her.

"Anything," she replied.

"Can we see what blood type I am?" I said, with the tiniest sliver of hope.

She gave me a sympathetic look. "We can check, of course. I highly doubt you have AB-. I mean, what are the chances…" She laughed nervously. I gave her a look to show that I wasn't joking. Miss Penny sighed. "Very well. Follow me, we'll get you a doctor."

* * *

The doctor came back with my blood test type results in hand. "Well, this is very odd. It seems the young lady here does in fact have AB-. However, we would need so much for him, I don't know how much her contribution could help."

"But it's something right?" I asked hopefully.

The doctor sighed. "Yes, I suppose so. I just would hate for your donation to be in vain if he were to – "

"Please don't finish that sentence," I begged. "Now, come on." I gestured to my arm. "Jab a needle in there and get him some blood."

"How much are we taking, Sweetie?" Miss Penny asked, returning to my side.

"As much as he needs," I answered simply. Miss Penny opened her mouth to protest, but I waved her off. "Take it," I insisted firmly. She gave me a tight nod.

I wiped my face clean and made my face a mask. My emotions were on a roller coaster and I needed to fix that.

I felt a sharp pain in my arm and I sucked in a sharp breath. "We're going to need to take quite a bit of blood – " Miss Penny started again, standing near the door.

"Take it all. I don't care. He needs to live." The doctor hesitantly gave me a nod and continued drawing my blood. I felt dizzy, and as she took back the needle, I laid down.

Miss Penny walked back to me as the doctor left the room. "He'll live now, sweetie. You did the right thing. That was mighty nice sacrifice you made there, hun."

There it is again. _Sacrifice._ Only now, I knew the true definition. It was giving something up for someone you love. Nico would live. I smiled even though I was still light headed. Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. My mother gave me up because she loved me. She gave Jason up because she loved me. She knew her life was wrong, and she knew she made bad decisions. Mom knew the real definition of sacrifice. She wanted us to have better lives.

I felt a wave of nausea and I passed out.

"Thalia!" I heard someone yell.

"What?" I replied grouchily. Who was waking me at this hour?

"You need to eat something." I groaned. That was Annabeth using her 'mom' voice. I sat up and rolled my eyes.

"What happened?" I asked. As soon as the words left my mouth, memories flooded my mind. Nico, giving blood, mom. _Sacrifice._ "Oh. Yeah." Annabeth smiled and squeezed my hand.

"You know you did the right thing, right?" Annabeth asked.

I nodded. "How is he?"

Annabeth smiled at me. "He's stable. Steady heartbeat thanks to you." I beamed at her and stood up, no longer feeling dizzy. "First stop, food."

"First stop, Nico. Second stop, food," I corrected. She rolled her eyes but gestured for me to go. I walked to Nico's room and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, smiling at the monitor, beeping at the right times. "I'll be back soon." I felt his hand jerk and I knew he heard. I slipped out of the room and went to the café.

"Thalia!" I heard a large group of people yell. I turned and smiled. There sat Grover, Juniper, Travis, Katie, Conner, Annabeth, Percy, Jason, Piper, Silena and Beckendorf. They waved me over and I gave everyone a hug, feeling truly happy with all the support they were giving me.

We sat down to breakfast, talking happily. They tried to change the topic to how I gave blood, but I shifted the subject. Jason's phone rang loudly, showing he had a text. Everyone turned to him and he blushed, checking his phone. As quickly as he blushed, he paled.

"Who is it?" Piper asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Nothing!" he said a bit too quick and loud. Piper raised an eyebrow and gave him a look saying they would speak about it later. We went back to breakfast, passing around plates, Percy acting as the leftovers vacuum. I remembered about how I really needed to tell Jason about Mom. We had no reason to be bitter.

"Hey, Jason, come with me real quick please? We'll be right back," I told everyone. The nodded and continued the conversation. Jason gave me a weird look, but followed me out of the café and into the hall.

"So?" Jason asked. "What's up?"

"Mom didn't hate us. She wasn't a cold hearted, reckless bitch," I said calmly. Jason started to protest. "No, listen. She gave us up because she loved us. She knew her life was only going downhill, and she wanted us to live better. It makes sense, Jason. Before she sent me away, she told me that it was for my own good. Now that I think about it, she was being genuine. Mom wasn't hateful," I finished.

He stared at me for a second, realization dawning on his face. "Oh." That was all he said, but I could tell he believed me. I punched his arm.

"Don't get all depressed on me, I just wanted to let you know so we wouldn't be angry with her anymore." Jason nodded. I reached out and pinched his cheek. "You look so much like the pictures of Dad that our mother showed us."

Jason gave me a weird look full of surprise. "What?"

I shrugged. "Don't you ever think about him?"

"N-no. Never. And w-we shouldn't right?" Jason stuttered.

I raised an eyebrow. "I guess not? What's going on?"

"Nothing!" Jason said, a bit too quickly for my taste.

I decided to let it slide. He probably just didn't like talking about Dad. "So, who was on the phone?"

He paled. "No one." I gave him a look and he sighed. "Keep a secret for me?"

"Of course," I told him honestly.

"It was Reyna."

"The girl who almost ran Annabeth over?" I whisper yelled.

Jason gave me a weird look. "What?"

I sighed. "Nothing. What did she want?"

Jason shifted, looking uncomfortable. "She said we should hang out again soon…"

My eyes widened. "You've hung out with her before?" He shrugged. "Uh, details?"

"It was nothing. We got a coffee one time, before I started lov… Liking Piper. She's been bothering me ever since, asking to hang out. I mean, she's pretty, and was really nice when we went out, but I don't know how to let her down. She was one of my first friends here," he explained.

"Did you almost say love?" I joked. "Why don't you just tell her you're with Piper," I questioned.

"Um, no. And I tried. She said she didn't care. How low is that?" Jason said, incredulous.

"That's like me asking out Percy," I grumbled in disbelief. That is a seriously gross thing. It's asking for drama.

"YOU ASKED OUT PERCY!" Jason yelled. Annabeth's head turned toward us and Percy had a confused look on his face. I face-palmed and flat out walked away from Jason, and back to breakfast.

Annabeth had a hostile expression and opened her mouth to speak. "No, Annabeth. I didn't ask out your boyfriend. No, I don't plan on it. I'll explain to you later, okay?" Annabeth looked like she wanted to argue with me, but I gave her a look and jerked my head ever-so-slightly in Piper's directions, showing that I couldn't say it in front of her.

Annabeth seemed to understand, because she started up a conversation. "So, Thalia, I have some good news!"

"Yes?" I asked. Everyone gave me knowing looks. _Great, I was the only one who didn't know._

"Doctors expect Nico to wake up soon. As in, within the span of one to two days," she said happily. I smiled at her and hugged her. She laughed. "Why are you hugging me? It's all thanks to you," Annabeth said.

"Because! You were the one to deliver the news!" I shouted, excited. "Can someone go take me to get a shower?" I asked randomly. I'd been wanting one, but I kept forgetting to ask. Everyone laughed at me and I probably blushed. I just didn't want Nico to wake up and see me all unclean with make-up running halfway down my face.

"I'll drive you," Percy offered. "Annabeth needs a shower too."

She glared at him. "Are you implying – ?"

"No!" he said quickly. "You just mentioned earlier that you wanted one, and now Thalia wants one, so we can all go home a get one and a change of clothes," Percy said, all in a single breath.

Annabeth punched his arm, but he didn't even flinch, like he knew it was coming. I smiled, and gave all of my supportive friends hugs. They told me they'd stay here until we returned.

"Call you in a heartbeat if anything happens!" Piper promised. I nodded at her gratefully, and turned to leave, thanking them all. I gave Jason one last glance, wondering why he was being so weird about Dad. I know we'd never really met him, but sometimes, I miss him. I miss a fatherly figure I never had.

That's why I rely so much on Nico, my rock, my shelter in a storm. He was always there for me, helping me through hard times like my Dad should be. Not that I think of Nico as my father, because that would be weird.

I shook my head at my odd thoughts and I decided to change the subject in my head. Nico will be waking up soon, if everything goes as planned. My friends were all there for me, helping me cope.

Sometimes, you just might get lucky with the best friends you could ever have.

* * *

I stepped out of the shower and threw on clothes quickly. I'd ask them to drop me off at Nico's apartment. It was more like home to me than anything. I winced as I remembered our heated argument. I felt terrible about it. If only I had just listened to him…

I shook my head, cutting off my thoughts. I went into Nico's room and stole his black hoodie. I fell onto his bed and buried my head in his sheets. Woodsy, but cologne-y. Just the way I loved them. I stayed there, breathing deeply with my eyes closed, but not sleeping. My phone rang, shattering my tranquility.

I rushed to pick it up, noticing that it was Annabeth's ringtone. "Yes?" I asked eagerly.

"Downstairs, now. Hurry," she ordered. I didn't question her and I flipped the phone shut, gripping my bag as I hurried out. I locked the door absentmindedly, thinking of all the possibilities of why she was in a hurry.

I rushed to Percy's car. "What's up?" I asked, as soon as I was buckled in.

"Nothing, I just wanted you to hurry," Annabeth explained. I punched her side, but she just laughed.

"Thals, ever since you fell in love, those punches have been getting weak," she teased. I rolled my eyes.

"Yours too, Wise Girl," Percy said, winking at her. She threw a punch at him, only to glare at him when he hardly budged. Annabeth tried again, still not getting a response. As she poised herself for a third punch, I stopped her hand.

"Please don't kill the driver by making him wreck. I have a boyfriend in a coma," I reminded her.

Annabeth glared at Percy one last time. "We'll finish this later," she growled, though both me and Percy knew she wasn't mad. Percy gave me a sly smile in the rear view mirror, his eyes twinkling with amusement. I stifled a laugh. We drove the rest of the way listening to Annabeth talk about architecture. I zoned out, but Percy just stole glances at her as she talked, even though he probably wasn't listening.

The second the car stopped at the hospital, I jumped out and sprinted inside to the conference room Miss Penny was still lending us. Everyone greeted me, but I noticed Jason and Piper were missing. "Where are – ?"

"Talking. Probably about that booty call-text Jason got earlier," Silena said nonchalantly. I was about to ask her how she knew. There's no way she read it over his shoulder, she was across the table from him. "I read his facial expressions. And I knew about the whole Reyna situation because I was with Charlie that day at the coffee shop."

I nodded in response and took Connor's coffee. He protested, but I glared at him. Connor backed down. "You didn't even drink any of it yet anyways," Travis said. Connor put on a pouting face.

We all laughed and started talking about random topics. Even Percy mentioned the weather once, getting groans and eye rolls all around the room. I heard a knock at the door and I jumped.

"Yes?" I called.

"Thalia, I need to speak with you," said a voice I recognized as Miss Penny's. I stood up a little shakily. Last time Miss Penny talked to me, it did not end well. Annabeth patted my arm for reassurance and I exited the room.

Miss Penny closed the door and turned to me. "Now, dear, he's awake – "

I jumped up and down in delight. "No way!" I yelled.

She beamed at me. "Yes, but – "

"Tell me on the way!" I said quickly, starting for the door.

Miss Penny pulled me back. "Just don't talk about things that happened too recently. He may pass out again if he's overwhelmed – "

I hugged her quickly. "Thank you! I will!" I turned on my heel and ran through the double doors. He was moved from the ICU since he was once again stable. I searched for his room for a while. I frowned. I had to have passed it. I asked a nearby doctor and they pointed me in the correct direction after checking a clipboard.

I tried desperately not to run. I stopped in front of room 418. I breathed deeply and touched the doorknob. I hesitated and removed my hand. _What if he doesn't remember me? I don't know how much he'll remember._

I reached out for the door handle again, but I retracted my hand. "Why are you frigging hesitating?" I asked myself. I got a weird look from a passing doctor, probably wondering if I was an escaped patient. As I reached out for the door knob once more, the door swung open, revealing a nurse grumbling something.

"Is he… okay?" I asked timidly.

"If you call not shutting up about a girl named Thalia 'okay'," the young nurse said sarcastically. She left and I pushed through the door.

"Don't come back in here unless you brought her," said Nico, eyes closed. The color has returned to his skin, and his cuts even looked better. He was sitting up, but leaning against the wall. "Hello?" he asked, eyes still closed.

Instead of replying, I tip toed over and kissed him lightly, singing the words to Thunder by Boys Like Girls softly. I felt like I was in a cheesy Lifetime Movie, but I loved it. He was warm and healthy looking. Nico broke out into a smile, but he kept his eyes closed and opened his arms, wanting me to come to him. I obliged with enthusiasm, hugging him fiercely.

I buried my face in his chest. When I pulled back, he finally opened his eyes. "I missed you," I said quietly. He nodded his head, gave me a slight smile. He looked so much better than he did earlier. His cuts were barely noticeable, and there was a glow to his face. I wondered why, but I shrugged it off. After a few seconds of simply staring at each other, he frowned.

"How… how did I get in here?" Nico asked, confused. I leaned my head on his chest again.

"You got in a wreck at the four way intersection with all the fast food restaurants," I explained.

Nico looked perplexed. "But… how? I mean, I thought I was a really safe driver…"

I looked down, still feeling guilty about the fight. "Um, the nurse told me not to tell you too much. She doesn't want you to pass out again. How about I get the others in here to see you, you get a good night's rest, and then I tell you?"

Nico grimaced, obviously wanting to know now. "Wait, what do you mean by 'others'?"

I rolled my eyes. "Duh. Percy, Annabeth, the Stolls, Katie, Silena, Beckendorf, Jason, Piper."

Nico had an odd expression on. "Oh," he said softly. "I didn't know they all cared enough to stay."

I patted his chest. "'Course they do. We all do. Especially me. So, I'm going to go get Percy and Annabeth next, okay?" He nodded and I removed myself from his side, but he pulled me back in, kissing me with passion, making me gasp. I responded, of course.

We separated. "What was that for?" I asked breathlessly.

"I love you, too," Nico whispered against my lips, causing me to shiver. I kissed him again and smiled.

"So you heard," I said casually.

"Yeah. And I know you sang to me, but I can't remember what. I remember I liked it, though. However, I specifically remember you saying you loved me," Nico said, winking at me. I probably blushed.

"I did. Sing to you I mean. And I did say I loved you. And I do love you," I said, tripping over my words, and probably sounding like a fool. He chuckled at me and I glared at him.

"Sorry," he mumbled, smiling. He kissed me again. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

"I'm sorry about the – " I stopped myself. _Don't tell him too much, Thalia._

"The what?"

"I promise I'll tell you later, okay?" He gave me a wary look, but he kissed my cheek in agreement. "I'll go grab Percy and Annabeth," I told him, leaving the room.

Everyone had their reunions with Nico, and he was beaming the whole time. I knew how he felt. Nico had always wanted people to care about him, and now he has a whole group of them. Everyone said they should probably head home, and Nico told me to go, but I ignored him. Instead, I laid down next to him, playing absently with his hand.

"So…" I trailed off, not knowing where to go.

"So, will you stay with me tonight? It'd be a shame if I slept alone," Nico said teasingly. I kissed his cheek and settled in next to him as a reply. He wrapped his arm and me, and I turned my face. We stared at each other for what felt like forever. I felt myself getting tired, so I closed the space between us, meaning for it to be a goodnight kiss.

However, Nico deepened the kiss, jolting me awake. All the worries I had about him officially melted away. I pulled back for air, but he leaned into me again, kissing me with intensity. After god knows how long, he fell back flat onto the hospital bed which was surprisingly roomy. We were both laying on our backs, taking shallow breaths and staring at the ceiling.

"That reminded me of our first kisses," Nico said softly and sweetly. I smiled and leaned into him, once again feeling tired. He kissed my forehead.

"You need to stop, you're injured," I told him sternly.

"Well, if I don't kiss you, I'll be injured both physically and emotionally," he joked. I laughed and closed my eyes.

"Goodnight, Thalia. I love you," he told me softly. I smiled at the words he said. I loved knowing that someone cared about me.

"I love you, too," I said happily, drifting off.

* * *

When I finally woke up, Nico was snoring up a storm, making me laugh softly. We were tangled together, my leg wrapped around his. I always tended to cuddle when I fell asleep. I looked up at the ceiling; awake, but not quite ready to get up. I heard Nico's snoring halt and he shift in his sleep. A few seconds later, he started snoring again.

A nurse entered with a happy yet apologetic look. "You two are so cute! You were cuddling all night long," she cooed. "We weren't supposed to let you stay overnight, but Miss Penny said it was okay. She's our head nurse and receptionist. Anyways, we must do some tests on Mr. di Angelo, so I'll have to ask you to leave."

I was disappointed, desperately not wanting to lose him again. Nonetheless, I gave her a nod. I'd have to remember to thank Miss Penny. I slowly disentangled myself from him, trying my hardest not to wake him. I touched his hair for a second, then I backed away. The nurse gave me a sweet smile as I left the room. I pulled out my almost dead cell phone and called Annabeth.

"Hey!" she said, answering around the fifth ring. I heard Percy yell a greeting in the background.

"Hi, Annabeth, Percy," I said. "Would you mind giving me a ride home?"

"Yeah, sure. Me and Percy skipped school today–"

"Oooh, you rebel!"

"–because we wanted to come visit Nico again," she finished.

I frowned even though she couldn't see me. "Oh, that makes you sound a lot less badass," I commented.

"Whatever. Be there in twenty." The line went dead, but not before I heard a laugh. _It'll be around thirty minutes. They're doing god knows what._

I went to the main desk, but Miss Penny wasn't there. I found a pad of sticky notes and I quickly scrawled a note asking her to tell me when we could visit Nico again. I wrote a thank you as well, for her allowing me to stay. I stuck the note to the middle of her computer screen to make sure she saw it. I headed to the café and grabbed some breakfast and a coffee, eating slowly to pass the time. As I suspected, exactly thirty-two minutes later, Percy and Annabeth entered the café, looking rushed.

"Have fun?" I asked. They both blushed and nodded. "Uh-huh. I thought so. They're doing some tests on Nico, but I asked Miss Penny to tell me when we're allowed to visit again."

Annabeth gave me a look. "So, you didn't call last night. Where'd you stay?" she asked suggestively.

Percy looked confused. "Did you sleep in the waiting room? I've seen some gross people out there. That was probably uncomfortable sleep too."

Annabeth and I rolled our eyes in unison. "Seaweed Brain," she muttered.

"No, I-uh, stayed with Nico," I admitted. I'd stayed the night at his apartment a few times, but you weren't supposed to stay after visiting hours with patients.

"Ohhhh," Percy said with understanding. I quickly changed the subject to something else.

"So, my phone died. Can I borrow one of yours to call Jason?" I felt like I needed to interrogate him more about his weird reaction to me talking about Dad. I had been thinking about it the whole time in the café before Annabeth and Percy got here. He seemed almost… Nervous. _Why should he be nervous?_

"I don't have his number," Annabeth said with a look that said 'sorry'.

"I do," Percy said, tossing me his phone. I said thank you and hurried to find his name in the contacts. I figured Percy and Annabeth would be out of here in around an hour, so I was going to tell Jason to meet me here at eleven.

I called him and he answered after a few rings. "Hello?" he asked grouchily, his voice heavy with sleep.

"Hey, bro! So listen up: I need you to meet me at the hospital at eleven. I need to talk to you. Oh, and I want to spend quality time with my brother," I said.

"But–" he started.

"See you then!" I told him, hanging up. I didn't want him to argue; we needed to talk. I had the creeping feeling that he was hiding something.

"So, are you going to explain to me why you asked Percy out?" Annabeth asked with a smile.

I groaned. "Jason was just telling me about how Reyna still wanted–"

"Reyna?" Annabeth growled.

"The one who almost ran you over?" Percy asked, putting a protective arm over her shoulder. Annabeth nodded. I thought she said Percy was overreacting by walking her to her car every day, but by the way Annabeth's jaw was clenched, she seriously didn't like Reyna.

"So, anyways, he was saying the Reyna still wanted to hang out with him, even after he told her he was with Piper. And Piper and Reyna are decently friends, so I said that it would be like me asking out Percy. You know, asking out a friend of mines boyfriend. I didn't actually ask Percy out. It was just an example," I explained.

Annabeth laughed. "Jason's in a bit of a love triangle, hm?"

I nodded. "Yeah, and he said that he was hanging out with Reyna before he got with Piper. So, I suppose Reyna has some unresolved feelings for him."

"I feel bad for him," Percy said sympathetically. Before we could answer to that, Miss Penny alerted us that Nico was allowed to have visitors. All three of us walked back and greeted him. Nico gave me a soft kiss. He intertwined our fingers and gazed at me with love and contentment in his eyes. Nico's intense stare gave me butterflies, but I broke it, remembering that Percy and Annabeth were here. All four of us talked for half an hour.

"Well, I better get home. Christine said I have to finish my chores and pick up the boys early for their doctors' appointments," Annabeth said apologetically.

"I better go, too," Percy said. "Oh, and Mom says to get better Nico. And these are for you," he said, pulling out a Tupperware dish full of chocolate chip cookies. Nico beamed at him and asked him to tell her thank you. We gave out hugs as goodbyes and I talked to Nico for a few more minutes as we devoured the cookies.

"Sally can seriously bake," I commented. Nico agreed with me. I picked up the lid and closed the dish of cookies. Nico frowned at me.

"Thalia," he complained. I laughed.

"Come on, you need to sleep," I told him.

"That's all you ever want me to do!" Nico argued jokingly. I smiled and kissed him, laying down beside him until he drifted off. After I was sure he was asleep, I went to find Jason. He was in the café, stirring a coffee, looking nervous once again. He ran his hands through his hair as I sat down, startling him.

"Hey, Thalia," he said quickly.

"Hey, Jason. So, I kinda wanted to talk to you about yesterday."

"Oh, yeah. Hectic day. I only got a few hours of sleep," he said evasively.

I looked at him. "Jason, I want to talk about Dad," I said, not beating around the bush at all.

He shifted uncomfortably. "Um, okay. What about him?"

"Are you okay? You're acting weird. Look, I know he left us and all. I know he didn't want anything to do with us, but you don't need to act all off when we talk about him," I said.

Jason gave me a look that was blank. I thought I saw a speck of guilt, but I ignored it. My stomach growled. "Hey, let's continue this conversation over dinner," I suggested.

Jason nodded and stood, leading me out to his car. We drove in a heavy silence on our way to McDonalds. It was our favorite restaurant as kids.

We walked into the McDonalds together and we started to order our food. "That'll be $10.02," the worker stated. I pulled out my wallet, but Jason pulled out his money before me. Something floated out of his wallet and I picked it up to examine it. It was a picture, and I saw to people guys, but before I could make out their faces, Jason snatched it from me. He stuffed it into his wallet quickly, looking whiter than usual.

I glared at him. "Uh, rude much?" I asked.

"You were the one getting in my business," he said, his voice void of emotion.

"It fell out of your wallet! I picked it up for you," I almost yelled. Jason ignored me. I grabbed my drink cup and stormed over to the fountain drink machine to get a Dr. Pepper.

"Look, I'm sorry, Thalia. But it really wasn't any of your business," he said.

I rolled my eyes. "Just forget it." We sat a table in silence.

"Anyways, so Dad…" Jason trailed off.

"What?" I snapped.

"Didn't you, um, want to talk about him?" Jason asked. I shrugged, forgetting that I was angry.

"I just… I miss him sometimes, even though I never knew him. I wish I could've just met him one time. Didn't Mom say he died in a plane crash or something?" I asked, opening up to Jason.

"Uh, I don't know. I can't really remember," he said. They called out our order number and Jason ran and grabbed our food.

"Don't you ever miss him?" I asked as Jason sat back in his seat.

He lowered his eyes. "Not really," Jason said blankly.

"You really don't want to talk about him, do you?" I asked slowly. Jason nodded.

"Yeah, I kinda don't. I'm sorry," he said. I detected a bit of guiltiness in his voice, but I ignored it.

"Okay, let's eat and change the subject, okay?" Jason nodded and started eating.

"So, what do you plan on doing with Reyna?" I asked. Jason choked for a second, earning us glances from all other tables. I patted his back, and he finally calmed down.

"Uh, I don't know. Piper doesn't know about her, us. We had a thing before I met Piper. But I'm totally done with her. I only love Piper," Jason said firmly.

"Love?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I said like," Jason told me.

"Nope, you definitely said love," I taunted. He was blushing fiercely and averting his gaze. "Oh my gosh, you really love her don't you?" I asked. He didn't answer and I laughed. "Should've known."

He gave me a death glare. "I have to go. I'm going somewhere with Pipes–"

"Aww! Nicknames!" I interrupted, putting on my best fan girl voice.

"–and she said for me to meet her by eleven-thirty," he said, continuing on as though I had never said anything. "Do you want to go back to the hospital or home?" he asked.

"Home," I replied. I hadn't been there in a while and Mrs. Christine and Mr. Chase were probably worried sick. I'd get Annabeth to drive be back there in a little while.

Jason drove me home and Annabeth's parents spoiled me with baked goods and some seriously good hot chocolate. The whole entire time, I was still pondering Jason's reaction. He knew we still had more to talk about, and now, I'm positive he's hiding something. He was so suspicious with that picture that fell out of his wallet. I faked a smile as Mr. and Mrs. Chase laughed at something they said.

Soon after, I ran upstairs to Annabeth, who was reading. "Hey!" she said happily. I greeted her and sat down on her bed next to her.

"How are things with Percy?" I asked teasingly.

She blushed. "Um, good. Great, actually," Annabeth said.

"Details," I prodded. She rolled her eyes and went back to reading the book in her lap. "No ma'am," I said, snatching the book. "Details."

Annabeth looked at me for a second and sighed. "Fine!"

"Awesome! So, how far?" I asked her.

"Excuse me?" she almost yelled.

"How far have you gone with your dear Percy," I asked in a monotone voice. Her innocence takes the fun out of everything sometimes.

"Oh, um… Not that far," she said.

"So, just kissing?" I asked, now bored.

She blushed. "Um, more like heavy make-out sessions, him usually shirtless," she muttered. _Whoa, forget what I said about innocence._

"What was that?" I questioned knowingly.

"We make-out! Anything else?"

"Heavily, with him shirtless," I added to her confession. She shook her head, exasperated and looked around for her book.

"No!" I protested. "You have not given any details."

Annabeth glared at me, but her face softened into a small smile. "So, he's a really great kisser," she started, blushing.

"Uh-huh," I said, gesturing for her to go on.

She gave in. "Okay, he's an amazing kisser and I get butterflies all the time around him and he's _so_ gorgeous and just absolutely amazing," Annabeth said all in a single breath.

I looked at her, astounded. "Okay, maybe I shouldn't ask for details. It's weird seeing you gush," I told her jokingly.

Annabeth chuckled and gave me a look. "And with Nico?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. I was probably blushing more than she did. "Details!" she yelled dramatically, mocking me.

"I'm not going to fight it, like you," I grumbled. "He's great. At everything. Nico's really sweet to me all the time. And I love him with all my heart," I said happily as Annabeth gagged. We burst out laughing and Annabeth turned on the radio. Wannabe by The Spice Girls came on and we stood up on her bed yelling the lyrics at the top of our lungs.

"If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends, make it last forever, friendship never ends! If you wanna be my lover, you have got to give! Taking is too easy, but that's the way it is!" we yelled. After the song ended, we had a very intense pillow fight. Finally, we fell onto her bed in exhaustion, talking and singing. It felt good to have girl time with Annabeth again. I may be more of a tomboy, but I did have my girly urges, such as gushing and singing to the Spice Girls. Just after we finished the topic of Toms, a new popular shoe that we didn't understand, Mrs. Christine called us for dinner.

As we entered the kitchen, the whole family applauded. "Give it up for the vocal stylings of Annabeth Chase and Thalia Grace!" Mr. Chase announced with good humor. We bowed dramatically.

"Thank you, you're too kind!" I said jokingly. We all laughed and sat down to eat. We carried on a normal conversation until Mr. Chase tapped his glass with his spoon and cleared his throat.

"Thalia," he said, addressing me.

"Sir?"

"You've been living with us for some time now. I think you're a wonderful young lady, and Christine believes the same," he said, beaming at me. "I'm pretty sure we all consider you one of our own. However, we were wondering, and don't feel obliged, if you would like to officially join our family," he said with a smile. The boys and Mrs. Christine beamed at me as Annabeth squeezed my hand.

I was in shock. _They wanted me to be a part of their family?_ "You… you guys want to adopt me?" I asked quietly.

"Only if you want," Mrs. Christine chirped.

"Duh!" I said, causing Annabeth along with Bobby and Matthew to laugh. "I'd absolutely love that!" I said, bursting with excitement.

Mr. Chase gave me a nice smile, almost fatherly. I felt a spark of a memory, as though I'd seen a smile like that before. I remembered pearly white teeth and a strong jaw. I frowned, wondering who else would smile at me fatherly besides… _Dad._ I shook off the memory as my new family gathered along with me into a group hug.

"We'll figure out all of the paperwork sometime this week," Mr. Chase assured me.

"Can I change my last name? Like, officially to Chase?" I asked excitedly.

"Of course!" Annabeth said. I smiled and hugged everyone close again.

"I really love all of you!" I screamed. They all laughed as we took our dishes into the kitchen.

I had started out with no one I truly loved besides my mother, who I thought didn't care, and my brother who was gone.

Now I had Nico, Annabeth, Mr. and Mrs. Chase, Bobby, Matthew and a whole group of friends that I would sail the seven seas for. I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face, even as I fell asleep that night. However, dreams about the memory of a smile haunted my dreams. I knew Jason was hiding something. Nico was still in the hospital, regardless of if he was stable or not. But at least I had a family.

;;;


	14. Chapter XIII - Nico

_Summary: Thalia's mother doesn't exactly care and Nico isn't exactly okay. When Thalia moves to San Francisco, she gets new friends, a loving family, and, who knows? She might even fall in love if she's lucky. Two darkened pasts; can they find solace in one another?_

Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or characters I adopt from those books. Merely the characterization and plot are mine.

Chapter XIII; Nico

;;;

I woke up and jumped out of my skin when I saw a concerned nurse hovering over me. "Sorry, hun. I didn't mean to startle you," the gray-haired nurse said. "I'm Miss Penny. We'll be letting you out of here soon so you can get to your girlfriend," she said with a knowing smirk.

"How'd you know?" I asked, smiling.

"I'm not stupid. You aren't glowing with happiness for no reason. And she's been up here every day." I beamed at that. "You listen here," Miss Penny said warningly. "You better take care of that girl. She's good. You aren't going to find another like her."

I grinned. "I know." Miss Penny gave me a smile and told me to sit up. She had already removed most of my IVs in my sleep.

"Stand," she ordered. I did so. Honestly, I felt great. Totally healthy. Totally ready to go see Thalia. Totally wanting to speed this up.

"Alright. Let me go get your doctor. I promise you'll be out of here in ten. You might want to call that girlfriend of yours for a ride," she told me. I nodded and looked around for a phone. I found the one that belonged to the room in the corner.

I dialed Thalia's number from memory. "What?" she said grumpily, after she picked up.

"Hey, babe," I said, practically feeling her glare through the phone.

"Babe? Oh, whatever. What's up?" she asked, her voice softening from the earlier grumpiness.

"I need a ride home," I said happily.

"They're letting you out? Awesome! Be there in fifteen! Love you!" Thalia said, hanging up on me before I could answer. I chuckled and put the phone down, smiling to myself. The first time she said that she loved me, I wanted to wake up so badly and kiss her fiercely. I still felt like there were holes in my memory. Something happened, and I have no clue why I left school early or how I wrecked. I knew I would have to ask Thalia soon, but for some reason, I knew I wouldn't like the answer.

"Mr. di Angelo?" I looked up to see a middle aged male doctor. "Hello. I'm here for your final evaluation. How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Well, Mr…" I read his ID tag. "Rinter, I feel greater than ever," I replied honestly.

"That's good. Any dizziness? Is everything a little blurry?" I shook my head. "Very well." He did a few other things like checking my blood pressure and listening to my breathing with the stethoscope. "Well, you seem good to go to me." He thrust out a card. "You should come back for a check-up in a few weeks. Our receptionist can help you set up an appointment."

"Thank you," I told him as he left the room. I wasn't really sure where to go, but I was not leaving this room in this terrible gown.

Suddenly, a blur of black attacked me. "Nico!" I laughed as I realized it was Thalia.

"Morning," I replied. She held out a bag to me. I looked inside. Sweatpants and a hoodie. "You're the best," I stated, kissing her and pulling out the clothes.

"I know," Thalia said jokingly. I laughed and kissed her again, sweeter this time. "Put your clothes on," she said, pulling back.

I chuckled. "Hm, that's not what the pretty girl usually says while the hot guy kisses her," I joked.

She raised an eyebrow. "Hot?" I shrugged. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

I grasped my chest dramatically. "Ouch!" I said mockingly. She rolled her eyes at my performance, and I pulled on the clothes. I tossed to now empty bag in the trash and pulled on her hand. Thalia didn't budge so I turned.

"Nico?" she asked.

"Yes?" I answered, now a little concerned.

"It was my fault," she said quietly and slowly. "We were fighting, and I yelled at you… You left the school in a rush and – "

"Thalia," I said, trying to stop her, dropping her hand.

"No! You need to hear this." She took a deep breath. "I was neglecting you. I was pretty much hanging out with Jason twenty four-seven, and you tried to have a civil conversation with me about it at school. I was way past the valley of overreacting. You got really upset and left in a rush. You drove recklessly and…" Thalia trailed off, her voice full of guilt and regret.

"Well, you were neglecting me, I remember that much," I said dryly. She looked up at me.

"I'm so sorry. So utterly and terribly sorry." I stared at her, wanting to be mad. I probably should have been too, but I just couldn't.

I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers. "Let's just forget it," I said. "I honestly don't feel like fighting. Plus, I love you too much." I smirked.

She laughed a nervous, relieved laugh. "I thought you would hate me forever."

"I could never," I told her honestly. Thalia smiled and I grabbed her hand again.

"Let's go." I nodded in agreement and led us out. Then I stopped in my tracks.

"Our Hearse?" I asked, fearing the answer. She shook her head softly, and I felt my stomach drop. I seriously loved my car.

"I'm so sorry," Thalia said.

"Don't be. It wasn't your fault. I was driving." We started walking again and I stopped at the front desk and set up and appointment.

"So, where do you wanna go after this? Are you hungry? We could order take out, then you could – " I spun her around and kissed her, simply and purely because I could.

Thalia kissed me back. She pulled away and gave me a sweet smile. "And that was for…"

"No reason. I just wanted to kiss you," I said. She laughed.

"Anyways, then we could get you home to shower. I mean, you still smell amazing, but your hair is greasy. And I don't like it greasy," Thalia said, tapping my nose and causing me to chuckle.

"Sounds like a plan."

After we got to my apartment, and I was all showered, we ordered a pizza. I turned on a random movie and fell onto the couch. Thalia entered with a Fudge Round in her hand and fell back on top of me, making me laugh.

"And where is mine?" I asked.

She smiled sheepishly. "Here," she said, offering hers.

I raised an eyebrow, then pretty much shoved the thing down my throat. She glared at me. "Seriously? I generously offer you food, and you take the whole friggin' thing?"

"Of course," I said simply, earning a punch. I winced. That was my bad shoulder. Thalia noticed that and went to apologize, but I shrugged it off. "Forget it."

She gave me a wary glance, but laid he head on my chest and snuggled close to me. I inhaled deeply. I loved moments like these. A perfectly comfortable silence and Thalia in my arms. "Are you smelling my hair?" she asked, with a smile evident in her voice.

"Duh. It smells like awesome," I told her, laughing.

"Awesome?" she asked, turning to look at me. I nodded and she rolled her eyes. I picked up one of her hands and fidgeted with it absently, waiting for our food.

After the doorbell finally rang, I paid for the pizza and set it on the coffee table. "Stay," I ordered her as I jogged into the kitchen. I grabbed another Fudge Round and a package of Zebra Cakes. I took the two last Dr. Pepper's out of the fridge.

I came back into the living room, smiling at Thalia who was waiting for me. I handed her the things I had grabbed and took my place on the couch. "Ready?" I asked.

"For what?"

"To get totally owned. I can so eat more pizza," I challenged. She raised an eyebrow.

"It is so on," she said, matching the tone of the cheerleaders from Bring It On. Don't ask me why I've seen it. You don't want to know.

I ate exactly half of the pizza, and she did as well. "A tie," I mused. "That could work."

"Nope," Thalia said. "We need a tie breaker."

"What'd you have in mind?" I asked her, noticing the smirk on her face.

"Whoever goes the longest without kissing the other. On the lips. Deal?"

"You're so going to lose!" I told her.

"Really?" she asked sweetly. I gave her a weird look. She pulled herself onto my lap and pulled me in. _Wow, didn't take her long to cave._

We we're about a centimeter away when she simply hopped off my lap and sat criss-cross on the floor again. "You tease!" I accused.

Thalia gave me a wicked smile, then changed her expression to innocence. "But, Nico, I never said anything about teasing…"

Well, she didn't. _Well played, Thalia. Well played._ I bent down and pulled her up to my lap again, both of us facing the TV. I wrapped my arms around her, and she gave me a questioning look. "You never said a thing about cuddling," I told her lightly. She shrugged and turned her attention to the television.

I rested my head on her shoulder and kissed her neck, causing her to bolt upright. "N-no! That's cheating!" she said, blushing up a storm. I smiled. I knew that it drove her crazy when I kissed her neck.

"But you only said I couldn't kiss you on the lips," I argued, pushing the smile away.

"Well, rules change," Thalia told me. I shook my head and backed her up against the wall. She tried to escape, but I put both of my hands on either side of the wall, trapping her. I leaned in and kissed her jaw, causing her to take a ragged breath. "Nico," she warned.

"It's not cheating," I said lightly. "And you can't change the rules after the game already started." I leaned in with a smile on my face, resting my forehead on hers.

"But – " she started.

"Nope," I said, kissing her neck again. She balled up my shirt in her hands.

"You have to stop that," she said quietly.

"I'm fine," I told her. I moved lower to her collarbone, and she shivered. I laughed against her skin, completely aware of the effect I had on her.

"You know what you're doing." I looked up to see her blushing and frazzled face.

"'Course I do! I've been kissing you for months."

"Not what I meant," she said, flipping our positions. She ran her hands up and down my chest underneath my shirt.

"It's not going to work on me," I said in a sing-song voice.

She smiled at me devilishly. "Oh, but it will."

I raised an eyebrow and she yanked me forward, pulling me by my hoodie, getting dangerously close to my lips. The bet escaped my mind and I waited for her to kiss me. I felt her breath on my face and I leaned into her. I heard her chuckle and step away. "And it worked," she told me with a wink.

_I will not be the first one to cave. I will not be the first one to cave. I will not._ Thalia smiled at me, as if knowing my thoughts. "Yes, you will be the first to cave."

She came closer to me again, kissing the part of my jaw near my ear. "I'll see you later," Thalia said quietly, slipping out my door. "Love you!" she said, just as she closed it.

"This is not going to work out," I grumbled, cleaning up the mess.

I woke up the next morning to Thalia jumping up and down on my bed. "Ouch!" I said loudly. My arm was still in a cast. I could still use my hands though, thank the gods. I pulled on her ankle quickly, causing her to tumble in a heap onto my bed.

She glared at me. "I'm going to kill you. I give you a five second head start."

"Thalia – "

"1."

"Really?"

"2."

"This is so – "

"3." At this point, I jumped up, running through my apartment, still in my boxers. "4!" I heard her call out. I jumped into a storage closet, quietly shutting the door.

"5… Where are you?" she yelled in a song-like voice. I heard her footsteps go in the opposite direction, so I opened the door, without it creaking. I saw her back to me, and I ran up behind her, catching her around the waist. I kissed her cheek.

"Morning," I said happily. She glared at me and decked me. Literally. She punched me in my jaw. "Ouch!" I raised an eyebrow and wrestled her to the floor, fighting off her punches. Eventually, I resulted to tickling her.

"N-no! I was hitting you!" she screamed through her hysterical laughter.

I smiled and continued. "Magic words?"

"Please, Nico?" I rolled my eyes.

"Not the cliché magic words!"

"I love you?"

"Once again, cliché," I told her.

"Nico," she said softly. I had stopped tickling her, and I was leaning over her, trapping her hands over her head and locking her legs beneath mine.

"Yes, babe?" I said, winking at her. She shot me a glare.

"You are the most gorgeous, amazing, awe-striking, phenomenal person to ever walk the earth?" I laughed.

"Thanks. But no." She bit her lip, driving me crazy with the determined expression on her face. I leaned down and kissed her neck, letting my lips linger for a while.

After I pulled back, she had her eyes closed tight and was biting her lip really hard. "What? Trying to resist?" I asked her, smiling.

"No!" she shot back, way too fast for it to be believable.

"Uh-huh, sure," I said, dragging out the last word.

"I'm pregnant."

That was enough to shock me. She rolled over so that she was now straddling me. "You're too easy! We haven't even had sex, dumbass!" Thalia started laughing at me.

"Still! Regardless, those words give any person of the male species a shock!" I protested. She slipped off her hoodie, revealing a black tank top which was terribly sexy. I cleared my throat, averting my gaze. "That should be considered cheating," I told her.

"What, taking off my hoodie?" she asked innocently.

"No."

"Then what?"

"Looking that amazingly stunning," I told her. Much to my delight, she blushed. "I'm hungry."

She rolled her eyes. "Way to ruin the moment."

I laughed, but she got up off of me, only after slapping my chest. "You already punched me!" I reminded her.

"I know, but that was for ruining our moment," she said, walking into the kitchen without another word. I looked at her discarded hoodie, staying on the floor, trying to get a hold of my hormones. She's too much for me. "Are you coming sometime this year?" Thalia called from the kitchen.

I stood up, walking into the kitchen, not bothering to put on any more clothing. If she could wear hardly any, I could too. I snaked my arms around her waist as she searched in the fridge. She leaned back into me, and I let her tank top slide up a little so I could touch her bare skin. Thalia shivered and I laughed. "Stop!" she ordered, though making no move to get away.

"Nah," I said, burying my nose in her neck. She made a light sound of approval and I grinned. This was all a game of who was the better tease. Her phone rang and she scampered away, probably glad for the distraction.

"Hey. At Nico's. Yes. No. Yeah. Okay. See you then," she said quickly, hanging up. She turned to me. "Jason."

I nodded, understanding. "See you later?" I asked her, slightly disappointed.

She raised an eyebrow, cracking a smile. "I told him I was busy. We're hanging out tomorrow."

"Busy…" I trailed off. I walked closer to her again, putting my hands on either side of her face, pulling her in. Our noses were touching and I could feel her breath on me, which I was really trying to ignore. I pulled away, knowing that if I kept getting so close to her, I would lose.

She frowned. "Crap. I so thought you were going to give in." I smirked at her, walking back to the fridge. I pulled out the jelly and gestured for her to go to the pantry. She understood and grabbed the peanut butter. We went through our routine of sandwich making, occasionally teasing each other. It was a little more difficult with my arm, but I managed.

I walked into the living room, preparing myself to eat. After Thalia didn't follow, I retraced my steps into the kitchen. Thalia was using plastic wrap to cover something and I got an idea.

I pulled out some and ripped it. "Thalia?"

"Mhm?" She turned towards me, giving the plastic wrap in my hand a weird look. I pulled her in again, not caring how close I got. Just as my lips were about to touch hers, I put the plastic wrap in between us, that way it wasn't technically a kiss. I could still feel the warmth of her lips and I felt her smile. "Cheater," she grumbled, snatching the plastic wrap. I laughed.

"We didn't actually kiss," I pointed out.

"Yeah, but still. You think of better ideas than me," Thalia said, attempting a pout.

"That facial expression looks so foreign on you," I told her. She resulted to a glare, picking up the leftovers with plastic wrap and sticking it in the fridge. I noticed it was spaghetti. "Why was that out?" I questioned.

"I wanted spaghetti," Thalia said, showing me her plate. It had spaghetti on one side and her peanut butter and jelly on the other. "Do not judge me," she warned. I simply laughed and kissed her cheek out of sheer affection. I wasn't trying to be a tease or anything. I just really loved her.

"I love you," I said, just for the heck of it. I meant every word though.

She smiled. "I love you, too." I took her plate and grabbed her hand, pulling her into the living room. Thalia flopped down on the couch and I handed her the plate with spaghetti and a sandwich. I tossed some Disney movie in and returned to my seat. Thalia had her food on the arm of the couch, so I lay with my head in her lap. She picked up the spaghetti noodles with her hands, accidentally dropping one on my face. Thank God she didn't get any sauce.

I started laughing and threw it at her, causing us to have a bit of a spaghetti fight. After we ran out of spaghetti, I picked up a pillow, slamming it onto her. She scoffed and picked up a pillow of her own, beating me down. I laughed the whole time, finally calling truce when my broken arm started to hurt. They told me to restrain from moving it, but since when do I listen?

"Alright, alright," I said, falling onto the couch. She sat on my chest, chuckling as she picked a noodle out of my hair. Her facial expression flickered to worry for a second. "Whoa, what's up?" I asked softly, sitting up and sliding her onto my lap.

She shook her head. "Don't worry about it," Thalia said, flashing me a fake smile.

"Fake," I said, calling her out.

She sighed. "I think Jason is hiding something."

"What do you mean?" I asked her.

"Well, when we ate while you were in the hospital, he told me he would pay, right? He opened his wallet and this picture fell out, but he snatched it from me, getting all moody. He told me it was none of my business," she said, sounding truly hurt.

"Maybe it's just a sore subject?" I offered not really believing it.

"I thought that too. But listen to this: every time I try to talk about Dad, he always changes the subject fast and acts guilty. Why?" she said, more to herself.

Well, that screamed suspicious. "Talk to him," I told her. "Trust me. He'll tell you eventually."

She looked at me and nodded. "So…" Thalia said, obviously wanting to change the subject.

"So, you're gorgeous," I said, out of nowhere. I'd been thinking it, but I didn't mean to say it. She smiled.

"You're decent," she stated. I laughed out loud.

"Ouch, girl," I said, shooting her a look. She rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Really? You already know I think you're damn-straight sexy! Otherwise, I wouldn't be with you!" I laughed at that.

"You think I'm sexy?" I asked in a low voice.

"Duh," she said, barely above a whisper.

"Prove it," I ordered. She leaned in to kiss me, and then backed away.

"Nice try, Nico! It won't work," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. The determined look on her face was making me crazy. Her eyes locked with mine, and I couldn't take it anymore. I leaned in and kissed her.

"Ha!" she yelled. "I win!" She kissed me. "I missed that though. What has it been, a full day almost?"

I laughed. "It's only been a few hours. You went home late that night. And now it's early."

She glared at me. "I can tell time." I raised an eyebrow and she stood up, only for me to tackle her to the ground. I brought my lips to hers once again. "That's goodnight." I kissed her. "That's for saying good morning." I kissed her once more. "That's because I wanted to."

I leaning in and gave her one last lingering kiss. "And that's because I love you," I whispered in her ear after pulling away. After that, I rolled off her and gathered her in my arms, taking her to my room.

"Where we going?" she asked playfully as I kicked open the door.

"My bed," I told her.

"Nico…" she warned.

"To sleep, you sick-minded teenager!" I said, laughing. She blushed, embarrassed for assuming.

I tossed her on the bed carelessly and put on a shirt. She rolled her eyes. "Now you put on clothes," she mumbled. I grinned at her and laid down next to her. She put her head on my chest and I wrapped my arm around her.

"Night," I said, yawning.

"It's eleven in the morning," she deadpanned.

"Yeah. Night," I repeated. She chuckled and I pulled her closer to me.

"Wait, Nico."

"Yes?"

"Don't ever leave me like that again. Never," she said quietly, my heart aching at how defeated she sounded.

I kissed her. "I promise, Thalia. I promise." She relaxed in my arms after I gave her my word and I sighed deeply, wishing I could take away all of her problems.

I knew Jason still kept in contact with his father. He'd let it slip once when we had a guy's night at my house. He made me swear on my life not to tell Thalia. It wasn't my place anyways. However, I couldn't help but feel guilty.

I am so dead when she finds out.

But I'll keep my promise.

No matter how far she pushes me away, I'll come back.

;;;


	15. Chapter XIV - Thalia

_Summary: Thalia's mother doesn't exactly care and Nico isn't exactly okay. When Thalia moves to San Francisco, she gets new friends, a loving family, and, who knows? She might even fall in love if she's lucky. Two darkened pasts; can they find solace in one another?_

Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or characters I adopt from those books. Merely the characterization and plot are mine.

Chapter XIV; Thalia

;;;

When I woke up from our little afternoon nap, I stared at Nico for a while. I could still see his scars from the crash, but his tan skin covered it all for the most part. The only thing I really noticed was a small cut above his eyebrow.

I gave a content sigh, truly happy that he was alive and well. I heard his heartbeat as I put my head on his chest, and I smiled at its stability.

"I know you're awake," he mumbled. I laughed quietly. "And I _so_ saw you checking me out a few seconds ago."

I rolled my eyes. "Please. What's to check out?" I asked playfully.

"Would you like for me to show you?"

"No. Nope. I'm good. Come on, I'm hungry again," I said, attempting to change the subject. I really didn't need those mental images, because then, I'd probably throw myself at him in a heartbeat.

"Let's go out to eat," Nico told me.

"Where?" I asked.

"A fancy restaurant. I've never taken you to one." I shook my head. Fancy was not my thing.

"Nico, I'd be happy if we were eating at McDonalds. You don't have to take me out," I told him firmly.

"Then to McDonalds we go," he said happily. I laughed and pulled him up from his bed. I walked to the door and put my hand on the handle as I felt his strong body being pressed against my back, curve for curve. He wrapped his arms around me and I smiled, leaning back into him.

He kissed my hair then swung the door open. "I just wanted to go first," Nico said, laughing.

"You used me!" I accused, jokingly.

"Then I give you one freebie. You can use me one time. Oh, and I don't mind if it's for sex. Not at all." I slapped his arm and scoffed.

"Gross," I mumbled. He picked me up and sat me on the counter, leaning in to kiss my neck. I wanted to recoil, I really did, but I just loved it. I leaned into him, biting my lip to keep myself in check. No need to throw myself at him.

He put his hands up my shirt and felt my bare back. I pulled his face from my neck and kissed his lips. My stomach fluttered nervously, even though I'd kissed him a thousand times.

Nico pulled back, giving me a smirk that made me want more of him. "What's gross?" Nico asked slyly. I rolled my eyes and pushed myself off the counter, getting control of myself.

"Oh, yeah. Um, Nico?" I asked him. I had forgotten to tell him something.

"Yeah, babe?"

I rolled my eyes at the term of endearment, but shrugged it off. I was sort of warming up to it now. "Well, the Chases want to adopt me."

He looked up from a drawer in the fridge and smiled. "That's great!"

I shrugged. I mean, it was. "Nico, if you have a living guardian, say your mother, won't she have to sign something to… I don't know, hand me over to the Chases?"

Nico frowned. "Probably so." I nodded. I did need to talk to my mother. I had to tell her thank you, and I owed her an apology for acting so cold about her giving me up. "You should talk to her, you know."

"Yeah. I should." I glanced at the wall. Pale, colorless. How was I going to start the conversation. Hey, Mom! So, I know I left without asking and acted rude, but can you please allow the Chases to adopt me?

"Thalia? You, um, probably shouldn't do it over the phone. I mean, this is big news…" he trailed off, giving me an odd look. "Plus, wouldn't she want to meet her daughter's super sexy lover?" Nico put both of his hands behind his head, looking pleased with himself.

"You are so conceited," I said, resisting the urge to laugh at his expression.

"If conceited means sexy, which it must, then yes." Nico winked at me and I giggled.

"You're ridiculous," I muttered.

"Oh, but you loooove me," he said, half-talking, half-singing. I didn't deny it, I simply gave him a smile and went to the bathroom to make myself presentable. I don't care if we're going to McDonalds, I don't need to look like small creatures have been napping on my head.

"Thalia! Come on!" Nico yelled. I heard the jingling of keys and I gave myself one last glance before rushing to meet Nico.

After we got our food, I told him we should go to my home. We ate on the go. Nico dropped a fry and nearly broke down in tears.

"They're all so precious! Every single fry!" he cried. I laughed at his dramatics.

"It's not funny! That was a perfectly good fry!" I smiled and turned my head, catching him frown for a second before his face relaxed.

We sang loudly to the songs as we made our way to my home. After a while, we pulled up. I saw Mrs. Christine gardening in front of the house, acting like a perfect house wife. I called her name and her head snapped up, smiling as she saw Nico standing beside me.

"Wow! You've had quite the recovery!" she exclaimed.

He held out his hand and she accepted. "Thank you. And I'm Nico – "

"–di Angelo. I know all about you," Mrs. Christine said, giving me a small wink.

"Hopefully it was all good," Nico said.

Mrs. Christine smiled. "Well, of course! Well, besides that accident of yours. Anyways, would you kids like to come in for something to drink?" she asked kindly.

We agreed and told her what we wanted. She gave us our drinks and I pulled on Nico's hand. "Is Annabeth here?" I asked.

"Just upstairs," Mrs. Christine told me. I turned around and walked up the stairs. I heard a giggle from inside her room and I raised an eyebrow, glancing at Nico. He wore an odd expression, half-confusion, half-amused. I decided to knock.

"Yes?" a voice called from inside.

"I'm coming in, Annie," I stated, barging in the door. Percy was lying next to Annabeth on his stomach. He was bent over a math book, scowling.

"Ooh, distraction! Hey Nico, Thalia!" he said. Annabeth rolled her eyes but said he greetings, too.

"Make yourself at home, Nico," Annabeth said. He nodded and fell into my favorite beanbag. I plopped down in his lap, kissing his cheek.

"Whoa. Gross. Save it for the bedroom," Percy said.

"For one, dude, she kissed my cheek. Second, are we not in a bedroom?" Nico retorted. Percy frowned but nodded.

"Fine. You win this time." Percy looked at Annabeth and got a sneaky smile. Out of nowhere, he pounced on her, knocking her to the floor and bolted from the room. Annabeth screamed about the many ways she was going to kill him and jogged down the stairs to chase him.

Nico and I started laughing. Eventually, I stood up, pulling on his hand. "Let's go talk to Mr. and Mrs. Chase." He nodded and stood up, tossing an arm around my shoulders as we went down the stairs in sync.

I finally found Mrs. Christine in the kitchen, washing the dishes with her hair thrown up. She glanced over her shoulder and beamed at me when she noticed our entry. Mrs. Christine dried her hands.

"Mrs. Christine," I started, "in order for me to be adopted, doesn't my mother have to sign things?" She nodded. "Well, shouldn't we, um, invite her over or something?" I asked timidly. I didn't feel like it was my place to impose these things.

"Oh, of course!" Mrs. Christine said, pretty much yelling. "You should call her right now. What about tomorrow night?" She seemed so excited it was exhausting.

"Uh, sure," I said, a little confused. I had expected her to be a little freaked out over my suggestion. I left the room, pulling on Nico's arm to make him follow me.

I dialed my mother's number from memory. There was a few rings, and I was ready to hang up, thinking she wouldn't answer. "Hello?" a voice said on the other line. She sounded groggy. No, hungover.

"Mom, go get a glass of water. It's Thalia," I said.

"Hey! How's life up there with those one people that take care of you?" Wow, she has great grammar. I rolled my eyes.

"Water, Mom. Water." I heard shuffling and a few select noises, including running water.

Finally, her voice rang through the line again, clearer now. "Okay, Thalia. What's up?"

"I need you to come to dinner. Here. At Christine's place. Tomorrow night, seven o'clock, okay?" I asked, straightforward.

"Why?" Mom asked, groaning.

"I need you to meet someone really special to me," I said, looking at Nico. He grinned at me, raising an eyebrow and winking at me. I blushed and cleared my throat. "And we need to talk about some things, okay?" I asked her.

"Would you like for me to invite your father, too?" she asked rudely. I gasped. "You seem to be making this a freaking family affair."

"Mom, I never said anything about Dad!" I said defensively.

"Why don't you ask Jason. He'll tell you where he's at."

"Mom! Stop!" I whisper-yelled.

"Go on. Ask him. I'll see if I can fit your petty dinner into my schedule," Mom said. She always got like this when she was drunk or hungover. Rude. Obnoxious. I took a deep breath. Of course her words hurt, but I was immune to her insults.

Nico pulled me into a hug and I buried my face in his chest. "God," I mumbled.

"Hey, it's okay. We'll get her to sign the papers eventually," he told me in a soothing voice. I nodded and stayed still for a few seconds before standing up.

I walked back into the kitchen and told Mrs. Christine the whole conversation. She looked very sympathetic and gave me a motherly hug. "It'll work out in the end, dear. If it doesn't, we'll still consider you our own." I smiled at her and nodded. "Would you like for me to explain this to Frederick? I doubt you want to repeat it."

"Yes, please," I told her. "I'm sorry for all this mess. Hopefully she'll make it to the dinner."

Mrs. Christine looked troubled for a second. "I do think you should talk to Jason. Your brother, right?" she asked.

"Yes ma'am. I just don't know why he'd know where Dad is," I said, the wheels turning in my head. Nico shifted uncomfortably next to me, and for the first time I thought about how he might be uncomfortable at my house.

Just then, Percy and Annabeth burst through the door. They both had messy, windblown hair. Annabeth looked pleased with herself and Percy was smiling lazily. "Hey, you guys! It's a Saturday. Let's go somewhere." I suggested.

"Beach!" Percy yelled. Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"All for going to the beach?" I asked. We all raised our hands. "Great. Meet you guys there in thirty?"

They both nodded. "Should I pack you guys some food?" Mrs. Christine asked.

"That'd be great!" I said happily. I was hoping to focus on something different. I didn't want to think about what my mother said about Jason or how my mother was acting, period.

"Hey, are we inviting everyone else?" Percy asked.

"I think we should," Annabeth added. I agreed and soon after, we had invited all of our friends to meet us at the beach in thirty.

Once we got to the beach, we laid out all of our towels. The beach was surprisingly pretty empty for a Saturday. We were close to the pier, so I immediately grabbed Nico's hand and jogged to it. After we reached it, I slowed my pace.

"Walking along the pier?" Nico asked me.

"Yep."

"Cliché."

"You critic." I stifled a laugh at his expression, obviously thinking of a clever comeback.

"Well, you… you're a sap!" Nico said accusingly. I smiled and shook my head at the lame retort. We continued walking in silence until we reached the end of the boardwalk. We looked out across water together as Nico moved behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. "You know, I'm actually glad we did this," he confessed.

"Why?" I asked, curious.

"Well, now we get to stand with water stretching out in front of us. And I'd call it romantic, even if it is a bit sappy. Not to mention that I have the most beautiful girl ever in front of me," he said sweetly. I smiled and leaned on the rail. He followed suit, not moving his hands from my waist.

"So, now that we have this romantic scenery… What's next?" I asked with a smirk. He kissed my cheek, but it was almost as good as a normal kiss. I smiled and set my sights on the horizon again. "You know that I love you, right?" I questioned.

"Duh. What's not to love?" I rolled my eyes, laughing.

"Very good point," I said, turning around in his arms and placing my hands on his chest. I leaned up and gave him a quick kiss before moving out of his arms.

"Race you back to everyone else!" Nico called over his shoulder as he started running. We elbowed each other and even pushed each other into the railings as we raced. We got some odd looks from older couples, but they were always smiling. Even one of middle aged couples pointed. And I swear the guy said, "Remember when that was us?"

When we finally reached the towels, Nico claimed he won, even though I definitely did. Percy and Annabeth were in the water, punching each other no less. They were smiling the whole time though, laughing. It was funny how love worked.

Sometimes, the person you love is the person you hate. Sometimes, it's the opposite. Percy and Annabeth may fight all the time, but you know they love each other with all their hearts. They always say that the best couples fight the most. I believe that. I mean, if everything was perfect in your relationship, it would be tiring. There's supposed to be secrets. There's supposed to be arguments.

I looked over at Nico and saw him leaning back on his elbows, his brown eyes looking more gold in the sunlight. I admired his defined features, his long eyelashes. "Checking me out again?" he asked, glancing at me.

"Duh." We laughed. I saw Jason and Piper walking together in the distance, Katie and Travis throwing the damp sand at each other. Silena, with her perfect body, was laying out, Beckendorf simply staring down at her face with a silly grin on his face. You had to admire the fact that he wasn't totally engrossed in her body. It showed me that not all guys are shallow.

"You are dead!" I heard Katie scream. I pulled Nico up from our sitting position to go see the action. As we made our way down the beach, I saw Katie sitting on top of Travis with a murderous look in her eyes and Travis grinning up at her stupidly. I was enjoying the show of Katie yelling at him while Travis never dropped his smile when I felt Nico pick me up.

"Hell no!" I said, writhing to get out of his grasp. He held firm and I felt his chest shake as he laughed. "Nico!" I protested. I heard laughter and I turned my head to see Percy and Annabeth looking at us with an amused expression.

Before I could even process that he was running for the water, I felt the prickly ice cold water touch my skin. He pushed me underneath the surface and I popped up quickly, punching him in the chest and launching myself at him in an attempt to knock him over. He simply caught me and kissed me. I felt my anger melt away for a brief second. As soon as he pulled back, I elbowed his chest, hard. "I told you that it wouldn't work! You can't just kiss me and act like you didn't piss me off!" I yelled.

"Well, you shouldn't make me want to kiss you!" he shouted.

"That makes no since!"

"Yeah, it does! You're even more beautiful when you're mad, you know? So every time you go to hit me, I always resist the urge to pull you close! It's your fault!" I blinked. Well, that was nice, but he still pushed me underwater.

"My hair was straightened for a reason you know," I grumbled.

"And now it's naturally windblown and beachy," he told me.

"I know it is!" I snapped. "But it's going to look like crap! And my make-up…" I trailed off, not even wanting to think about how much I probably resembled a clown.

Nico shook his head and laughed. "Oh my god," he said under his breath.

"What?" I asked impatiently.

"You don't even need the make-up, for your information. And you could never look like crap. Ever. It's not in your genes," Nico said, turning and swimming to shore. I followed, my toes tingling a little from his words and the cold.

He took off his shirt, now soaking wet because he neglected to remove it before he tossed me in the water. I averted my eyes, not feeling like blushing or stammering at his gorgeous abs. However, Nico had different plans as he pulled me into a hug. "I'm sorry," he said in my ear.

I nodded, not fully trusting my voice. I was actually having trouble thinking while he was pressing his half naked body up against me. "Hey! She packed Capri Suns!" I heard Jason scream.

"Hell yes!" Nico said, pulling away from me and jogging to the cooler full of food and drinks. I rolled my eyes and followed him there. I looked at Jason who was happily sipping his drink and stealing glances at Piper. I remember Mom's words and I frowned. _Was it her drunkenness speaking, or was she telling the truth?_

I contemplated this. Of course, Jason was hiding something. But how would Dad tie in? I mean, when would he have had the time to even think about Dad? He was in so many foster homes, getting homeschooled full time.

Before I could change my mind, I caught Jason's eye and cocked my head, telling him to follow me. He stood up as I did and no one really noticed we walked off. I looked back and I saw Nico staring at me, but I waved and he smiled, going back to his conversation with Beckendorf.

"What's up, Thalia?" Jason asked.

"I called Mom yesterday," I confessed. He frowned and gave me a questioning look. "I told you that the Chases want to adopt me, right?" I asked.

"No!" he said, a bit too loud. I blinked. Huh. I supposed I hadn't.

"Oh. Well, the Chases want to adopt me! Anyways, I had to call Mom to invite her to dinner. I mean, it's only right to tell her in person about the adoption. Plus, I think she has to sign some things," I explained.

"Oh, cool. How is she? Mom, I mean." I was glad he was taking the adoption news so well.

"She's okay. Drunk, but okay. Actually, she was saying some pretty interesting things…" I mentioned.

"Like what?" Jason asked, drawing out the question.

"Like that you know where Dad is. And that you should call him and invite him to the dinner." I looked to Jason and my worst fears were confirmed. He was pale and averting his eyes to the ground. "Jason? Is it true?"

He sighed. "Thalia, he didn't want you to know."

I glared at him. "Really? Why?" I asked, in disbelief. He kept this from me. And I told him how much I missed Dad.

"He thought he… He thought you hated him. He didn't want to mess up your life, Thalia. Just because you didn't see him, it doesn't mean he wasn't there for you. Trust me. He used to call Mom all the time, asking how you were and what you were up to," Jason told me slowly.

I shook my head. "How do you know?"

Jason kicked the sand a little. "I… I lived with him."

"No, you lived in foster homes," I corrected. Jason shook his head. "You know where he was all this time?" I asked, nearly yelling.

"Thalia, I already told you! Dad didn't want you to know where he was. It was too complicated. Mom gave me up to him because he never got to see either of us. She chose to keep you. She wanted to turn her life around. She wanted to change. It was just too hard. Mom called Dad and vented about this so many times."

I took in all the information, but I could only feel anger. "How could you hide this? You know how much I wanted to see him!" I yelled.

"I know, I know! But it was too complicated – "

"Then uncomplicate it. Call Dad, right now. Tell him he has a family dinner to be at tomorrow night. Tell him to be there at seven. Tell him he need to finally meet the daughter he's had," I said bitterly.

"I'll tell him, Thalia. Just don't be mad. Please." Jason's eyes were pleading with me. I turned on my heel and walked away. I was furious. I sat on the ground a bit too forcefully and Nico touched my hand. I shook my head, not wanting to talk. Nico simply squeezed my hand and let go, telling me that he was here, but at the same time he knew I needed to think. I leaned onto his shoulder and breathed in his woodsy scent, trying to calm down. I needed to have fun.

"You guys know where I want to go?" Silena asked excitedly.

"Where?" a few of us said in unison.

"The restaurant underneath the pier. It's _so_ pretty, and _so_ romantic, and_so_ pretty!" she squealed.

"Another time. I think we should go get some ice cream. No, wait, snowcones. Nah, both," Percy said. We all glanced at each other, a mutual agreement passing between us all.

"There's the Sweet Shack up there," Katie said, pointing to a place northeast of us. "They have the best snowcones ever. And I think they have ice cream, too."

We all jumped up and raced to the Sweet Shack. As soon as we entered, I heard a lot of cheering. "More couples! Wonderful! Right this way!" a peppy waitress said.

They led us to the barstools. "Every Saturday, we have a new special that goes on. This week, we decided on 'Couple's Day'! Every couple gets a sundae for free! Of course, if you can prove you're a couple." She winked at us.

The waitress, who's nametag revealed her name as Jocelyn, smiled pointedly and Nico and I. I wasn't all for public displays of affection, but they were giving out free sundaes. I looked to Nico and he leaned in and kissed me. The waitress smiled. "Names?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Nico and Thalia," I said, though it sounded more like a question.

"Nico and Thalia, would you like to take a picture for our wall?" Jocelyn asked, gesturing to a wall full of pictures.

I shrugged. "Why not?"

"Great! You both are the cutest couple we've seen all day. Come stand in front of this wall," she said, pulling out a camera as we moved to the wall. I put my arm around Nico's waist, but he pulled me in and kissed me deeply, making me smile. He tipped me back and I barely registered the flash. Once he pulled me upright, I heard a chorus of whistles as I blushed. Nico threw his hand over my shoulder and winked at me, which was so not helping with my blush.

Because it was a beach restaurant, shirts and shoes weren't required. I looked down and noticed Nico's shirt was still absent. I cleared my throat and walked back to my seat, smiling slightly. The rest of us ordered, each couple kissing each other to get their free sundaes. Actually, Percy and Annabeth pretty much ate each others' face, but I looked away after a second. I really didn't need to see all that.

After we were done with our ice cream, we decided we should leave the beach. Silena suggested we go to the mall, but I quickly shot that idea in the face. We eventually resulted to piling up in Nico's apartment since there were no parents.

"Movie night?" Travis inquired. Katie smacked the back of his head, with an expression clearly reading, "Duh!"

I picked up the cooler only to have it wrenched out of my hands. I frowned. It was empty besides all the ice. I looked up at who had taken it, seeing Percy's face before I screamed at the piercing cold.

I swung out blindly, feeling my hand connect with a face of some sort. I saw Percy on the ground holding his face as all the guys chuckled. Annabeth high fived me and I gave Percy one last glare before recollecting the cooler. It was now completely empty, seeing that Percy decided to dump the contents on me.

I put the cooler in Nico's car, jumping into the passenger seat. Nico opened his door soon after me, still laughing slightly. He started up the car and I seized control of the radio, tuning it to 102.9. We Are Young by fun. came on. I bounced up and down in my seat before syncing my voice with the lyrics.

Nico joined in at the chorus and we started a contest of who could yell the lyrics the loudest. Nico's voice cracked eventually and I burst out in laughter. I got a glare that turned into a smirk as I shivered from the cold for a second. He reached behind him and pulled out a – naturally – black hoodie. I pulled it over my clothes.

We reached his house and I pulled the keys out of the ignition myself, jumping out of the car and jogging up the stairs to his door. "Cheater!" he called out, running up behind me. I laughed as I opened the door to his apartment. I attempted to slam the door in his face, but he caught it, pushing himself inside and cornering me.

"You so just tried to shut me out!" he accused. I rolled my eyes.

"That would be the point of slamming the door," I remarked sarcastically. "I kind of regret not slamming the door all the way."

"You won't," he stated. I raised an eyebrow. He smirked and kissed me softly. I leaned closer, pressing my shivering form against his. I ran my hands up and down his chest slowly and he pulled away. I frowned.

"Don't tempt me," he said in a low voice. I laughed and kissed him again, not halting until I heard a knock. I sighed dramatically. And Nico rubbed his hands over his face. "I'm going to go change," he told me.

"Can you get me a pair of sweatpants, please?" I asked nicely.

He grinned at me. "I love when you wear my clothes," Nico said, turning and walking to his room. I stared after him for a second before remembering that someone knocked. I opened the door and saw Annabeth and Percy. They went and fell onto the couch.

"I'm going to change," I told them. "Answer the door if anyone knocks." The nodded and started up a conversation as I retreated to Nico's room. He was pulling on a pair of pants and I walked past him to his dresser, gathering some of his clothes. I took off the hoodie and peeled off my shirt without even thinking about the fact that Nico was still in the room. I attempted to brush some of the sand off my bra, but I failed.

I pulled on his shirt and removed my shorts. I tugged on the sweatpants, tying them and turning around to see Nico standing still and staring at me. I blushed, remembering that I was in my bra and underwear, but I shrugged. "It's no different than a bathing suit." He blushed as if he just noticed he was staring and put his hand behind his neck.

"Um, yeah." I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him.

"Don't be embarrassed. I've seen you in your boxers. Now you've seen me in my bra and underwear. We're even." He grinned and nodded, picked up our wet clothes and tossing them in the hamper. I made my way out the door, heading straight for the kitchen to pop some corn. While the first bag popped, I pulled out a Fudge Round and tossed some Zebra Cakes to Nico. We sank down on the floor and ate, keeping our snacks to ourselves. There's nothing wrong with being selfish occasionally.

Nico smiled at me. "You're so friggin' gorgeous."

I laughed and returned the grin. "You're so friggin' sexy?"

"Yes. Yes I am," he said, winking at me. I stood up, holding out my hand and helping him up. We tossed out our trash and poured all the popcorn into bowls. As we entered the living room, I noticed that everyone had arrived.

We started up the Wii and picked out a movie from Netflix. I was hardly watching it, and eventually we muted it and had a big conversation while shoving popcorn down our throats.

Eventually, I drifted off to sleep, momentarily forgetting about the mess of a family dinner planned for tomorrow.

;;;


	16. Chapter XV - Nico

_Summary: Thalia's mother doesn't exactly care and Nico isn't exactly okay. When Thalia moves to San Francisco, she gets new friends, a loving family, and, who knows? She might even fall in love if she's lucky. Two darkened pasts; can they find solace in one another?_

Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or characters I adopt from those books. Merely the characterization and plot are mine.

Chapter XV; Nico

;;;

When I woke up the next morning, I groaned. Sunlight was streaming through the windows and I wanted to go back to my peaceful sleep so bad. However, I was wide awake now. I shifted Thalia off of me and laid her back down. I tiptoed over everyone else who was passed out on the floor. I bet their parents are wondering where they are. We went to sleep early last night.

I glanced at the clock on the microwave. 6:42 AM. I've never been up this early. Except for on Black Friday. I smiled. Bianca used to always force me to wake up at three in the morning to hit the stores.

I trudged to the bathroom and decided to take a shower. After I got out, it was only seven. I glanced in the living room to see everyone except Jason asleep. I waved him over and he stood, following me into the kitchen.

"I'm screwed," Jason said simply.

"Why?" I asked. I had a feeling it had to do with Thalia. I'd seen them yelling last night, and when she came back and sat by me, I knew she was pissed.

"She found out about Dad. And now she hates me. She wanted me to call Dad and invite him to dinner tonight. He's always so busy, and I was almost positive he would say no. But he didn't. He agreed whole-heartedly." Jason sighed and put his head in his hands. "Mom is going to be so mad. And Thalia's going to hate me still."

"But you did what she said. You called," I reasoned.

"Exactly. Thalia's confusing. I'm sure you know that by now. She says one thing and means another." I nodded in agreement.

"You'll figure it out. As much as Thalia seems like she loves to argue, she'll forgive you. She can't stay mad at me for more than a day," I assured him.

"That's different. She loves you," Jason said.

I rolled my eyes. "Seriously, bro? You're her brother. You've known her way longer than me. It's just family issues. If she gets mad at me, she can end our relationship. You can't just stop being related to someone."

Jason was quiet for a minute. "You're right. She has to forgive me, right?" he asked.

"Right. Now help me cook breakfast before I die of starvation," I told him. He laughed and I told him what to get. The second I put the first pancake on the griddle, Percy walked in, rubbing his face.

"I smelled food," he said, still looking half asleep.

"Wake up. Now. And help us cook breakfast," Jason told him firmly.

"It's not done?" Percy whined. Me and Jason smacked the back of his head in unison. "Okay! I'm helping, I'm helping." He went to the fridge and pulled out the bacon. "Is this microwaveable?"

"Yeah. Just get the bacon tray thing. It's white, in that cabinet and had ridges." I pointed to a cabinet on the other side of the room. I nodded when Percy pulled out the right thing. He set to work on the bacon and Jason pulled out cups and filled them with ice.

"Why didn't we wake up Travis? Or Beckendorf?" I asked.

Jason gave me an incredulous look. "Do you want to live the rest of your life being pranked by Travis or smashed to bits by Beckendorf?"

I thought about this. "Good point," I decided. Jason pulled the orange juice and apple juice out of the fridge.

"Coffee," I ordered. "Thalia will be practically dead if we don't make it." Jason nodded and cleaned out the old contents.

"Filters and coffee?" he asked, wondering where they were.

"Right above the maker," I told him. He reached into the cabinet and found what he was searching for.

Soon enough, I had all the pancakes cooked to perfection. Bianca taught me well. She told me that I would need to be a good cook because my looks weren't enough to get me a girl. I know it sounds mean, but she was always joking.

Percy ended up having to make more bacon because he ate half of it while cooking the bacon. As soon as he took out the tray for the last time, the coffee beeped, telling us it was done.

"That worked out well," Jason commented. Percy and I nodded our agreement.

"Okay, now for the hard part. Wake up the ladies," I said.

"And Beckendorf. And Travis," Percy added. We made our way into the living room. Percy, the daring one, just picked up Annabeth and threw her over his shoulder. She immediately went into defense mode, punching the crap out of his back.

Once she realized it was him, she stopped freaking out, but kept punching him nonetheless. I frowned as I saw that no one else had woken up, even through all the commotion. I glanced at Jason, and he shrugged. "Piper's not too bad when she wakes up," he told me. I nodded and he went to wake her up. All he did was shake her shoulder and she woke up. Lucky him. I could throw a high heel at Thalia's forehead and she wouldn't even shift in her sleep.

After Jason left with Piper, I followed them into the kitchen. I made Thalia a cup of coffee, pure black. No creamer, no sugar. I walked back into the living room and set it on the table. Thalia rolled over so that she was no longer on her side, but face up.

I jumped on top of her, causing her to automatically reach a hand out to hit me. However, I knew her too well and I caught it. I leaned down. "Thalia, wake up!" I said loudly. We were nose to nose and I saw her squeeze her eyes tightly.

"No!" she yelled back.

"I made you coffee," I said in a sing-song voice.

"Where?" she grumbled. I got off of her and picked up her coffee off the table and put it in her out stretched hand. She gripped it and sat up straight, not even bothering to open her eyes. She downed the cup of coffee.

"Morning?" I said.

"Morning." She fell back onto the couch, empty cup still clutched in her hand.

"No, Thalia. You have to get up. We made you breakfast," I told her.

"What kind of breakfast? And who's 'we'?" Thalia said sleepily.

"We have bacon, pancakes, and a side order of Nico on the menu," I joked. She smiled. "And 'we' is Jason, Percy and I."

"Carry me," she said. I obliged and carried her into the kitchen, sitting her down on a chair. She dropped her forehead to the table, handing me her coffee cup. I poured her another cup and handed it to her, heading back into the living room to wake up everyone else.

I woke up Silena first. She smiled and stretched. "Hey there, Nico! Good morning! It smells great!"

"Morning. Would you mind waking up Beckendorf? I'm sort of scared of him." She laughed.

"No need to be scared. He's a big giant teddy bear," Silena told me. "Want me to get Travis and Katie too?"

"If you would, that'd be great. Come to the kitchen when the dead arise," I told her. She giggled and nodded, moving to wake up Beckendorf. I headed back to the kitchen. Thalia was awake now, staring grumpily at Percy.

I kissed her cheek and her grumpy look went away. "Hey, babe," I said. She rolled her eyes but smiled a little. I could tell she was actually starting to like the whole 'babe' thing.

"Morning, handsome," she offered, looking a little confused. "I was going to say sexy, but I thought that'd be weird."

"Why would it be weird if it's true?" I replied cockily. I frowned a little at myself.

The way I was getting cocky lately, it reminded me of my old life.

* * *

_*flashback*_

* * *

I flashbacked to the days when I was the quarterback.

"Hey Nico!" a random blonde girl who I'd never seen called. I winked at her and nodded. She blushed.

As I waked into my first period class, I got a lot of greetings. I replied to all of them, of course. "That shirt makes you look so hot," a girl practically purred at me. I glanced down at my bright blue polo.

"Thanks, love," I told her, shooting another wink. As I sat down, all the guys turned to me. I was pretty much the leader of the populars. After all, I was the quarterback. Everyone wanted me to date Rachel, the hot red-head. She was the cheerleading captain, and queen of the popular girls.

"Nico, baby!" a voice called. I turned to see none other than Rachel Dare, walking down the aisles, shaking her hips so much they might break. She kissed me on the cheek. "When are we going to go out?" she asked, pouting.

I shrugged. "Pretty full schedule." The guys chuckled at my 'play-hard-to-get' bit.

"Well, we don't need that much time," she said, running a hand down my arm. Thankfully, the bell saved me from having to reply and she kissed me on the cheek again.

The announcements came on, telling us things we already knew. Finally, they announced the football team's win.

* * *

_*flashback end*_

* * *

After that, everyone started chanting my name. We had won State thanks to me. I stood and bowed dramatically waving to everyone like a celebrity. People would be fighting to sit by me at lunch today, I thought to myself.

I shook myself out of the memory. That was the past. Rachel didn't glance at me now. Not like I wanted her to. Now I had Thalia. I smiled, looking over at her. I blushed a little remembering how she had practically stripped in front of me, but I shook it off. I grabbed her hand and the last of the sleeping entered the kitchen. Katie and Silena were wide awake. Travis was glaring at Silena as he made himself a cup of coffee, pouring about half a carton of creamer in. He added three tablespoons of sugar and took put his cup on the bar. He headed for the line that was forming to get breakfast.

I stood up, pulling Thalia with me and joined the line. After I got all of the food I needed, I plucked the syrup out of the pantry and handed it around the table. I passed it to Beckendorf who was sitting at the bar. He passed it down to Silena who handed it off to Travis and Katie. We all started eating and talking.

"I just don't see the point in thongs!" Katie said loudly, causing everyone to turn to her. Silena smirked.

"That was loud," Travis remarked.

"No," Katie said sarcastically. We all turned back to our separate conversations, not wanting to get involved in that.

"So, are you ready for tonight?" Thalia asked me, referring to the family dinner. She had asked me to go, and I wasn't about to tell her no.

I glanced at Jason. "You know, Jason called your dad," I told her quietly.

"What? Why?" she whisper-yelled.

"You told him to," I said. "He told me you wanted him to call you father to the dinner. And your dad agreed." Thalia kept her eyes on the table. "Thalia, Jason's really sorry. He only called your dad to make you happy. I could tell by the way he was acting. He feels horrible."

Thalia nodded. "I know. I'm upset with Dad, not Jason. I mean, he didn't even want me to meet him, but I've been missing him every day since he left." I squeezed her hand.

"I'll be there tonight, I promise. And I vow to be your knight in shining armor is things get messy." She beamed at me and kissed my cheek.

"Thank you," she said earnestly. I nodded and wondered just what would happen at this family dinner.

After everyone, Thalia included, left, I flopped down on the couch. I was thinking back to the old days. The days when the color blue was actually in my wardrobe. When I was popular, winking at every girl instead of Thalia. I didn't miss those days at all.

I was conceited. My head was so big it was about to burst through the roof. I believed love was overrated. Making out with a different girl every week was my specialty.

Without thinking, I started walking to my room. I opened the closet and stared at the bins beneath my clothes that were hanging up. They held my old life. My old pictures, my old clothes. I hesitated to open them.

I hadn't seen anything in these bins since I packed it up. Since Bianca died. I know I didn't miss it, but I felt like it would give me closure to see it one last time. Then I'd put it all in the dumpster. I made my decision and I took the first bin to my bed. I placed in there and sat next to it, a little intimidated.

I had no clue what I'd find in here. Finally, I opened the bin and threw the lid aside before I could change my mind. I glanced down, seeing the old textbooks. The old photo frames. I picked one up and saw a picture of me and the guys. I remembered when I'd explained social status to Thalia on her first day. I was one of the polo-wearing popular kids. I was a jock. I gelled my hair, I'm sad to admit. These guys were my best friends. The second Bianca died, they edged away.

I sighed and stood up to get a trashbag from the kitchen. Once I returned to my room, I tossed the picture frame in there, not caring about the cracking of glass I heard. I pulled out the next few frames, shuffling through them. There was a picture of me and Bianca after I'd won state. I smiled and set it on my dresser. Oddly enough, there was a picture of Rachel. I frowned. Then I remembered that she'd given it to me as a gift for _my _birthday. I tossed that one quickly. The next few pictures were ones of me and the guys at random places. The movies, school field trips, State Championships, and after practices. I dropped them all in the bag, feeling the weight fall from my shoulders with each crack I heard.

Next, I saw a CD case. I pulled it out, laughing out loud at the music I used to listen to. As soon as I saw a country CD, I literally gagged and threw the whole case in the trash. I felt like I needed to wash my hands. I made a face and went back to the bin. I saw my old football jersey, along with all the t-shirts and hoodies we'd gotten while on the team. I picked them all up, giving them one last look before tossing everything. The bin was almost empty so I poured the rest out on my bed. I saw a class ring that I'd gotten as a sophomore. I hadn't really needed it, but all my friends were getting one. I put it in my dresser drawer.

There were hundreds of loose pictures laying on my bed now and I shuffled through them, wincing. I looked at the clock and jumped. Holy crap. It was already six. I shoved all the pictures in my drawer without a second thought and stuffed the bin in my closet. I'd have to go through them later, just in case there was any of Bianca. I tied the bag and put it by the door to my room. I jogged to the shower, even though I'd taken one this morning. I felt dirty from touching all the memoirs of my old life.

After I got out of the shower, I decided on a black dress shirt and black jeans. I threw on Bianca's necklace and my converse. I ran to the bathroom, brushing my teeth and spraying cologne at the same time. The dinner started at seven, but I was going to be there early to help out. Thalia was probably stressing like crazy. I threw the garbage bag over my shoulder. I walked swiftly to the door. I opened it and locked it after I stepped out. On my way to my car, I tossed the trashbag in the dumpster and headed for my car.

Thalia had been nice enough to get me another car, which was black. It wasn't a Hearse of course, but it was something. And it was black, so I was okay. I'd told her I'd pay her back, but she'd shrugged it off, saying that it was her mom's money. That worried me a little, but she once again told me to forget about it. I glanced at the dashboard as I pulled out of the parking lot. I sorta missed my bobble head skeleton. I'd gotten used to him.

I sighed and turned up the radio to drown out my thought process. In what seemed like minutes, I was at Thalia's house. It was only 6:27, so I was pretty early. I stepped out of my car and jogged to her doorstep. I knocked and a frazzled Mrs. Christine opened the door. I gave her a quick hug even though I'd only met her once. She was pretty nice in my opinion.

"Upstairs," she told me before I even asked. I smiled and gave her my thanks. I took the steps quickly and knocked on the green door. I heard a loud groan. Thalia appeared at the door, half of her hair straightened. I kissed her and she let me in.

"How are you doing?" I asked.

She glared at me. "I'm stressed out. Freaking out. Really nervous that my mother's going to screw this up. Wondering about my father. Hoping my parents don't attempt to murder you," Thalia said honestly. I nodded in understanding. "Black's really your color," she said jokingly.

I laughed. "Gee, thanks. What're you wearing?"

"Nothing." I blushed and looked away, not wanting my mind to wander. "Special," she finished, smirking at my blush.

"You had me for a second there," I admitted.

"I know," she told me, grinning at me devilishly. I smiled and looked around the room.

"Where's Annabeth?" I asked.

"Bathroom. She decided to get ready in there because I was being a bitch. I should probably apologize, huh?" Thalia said, sounding a bit remorseful. I nodded. She sighed. "Be right back."

A few minutes later, she returned, looking relieved. "She's my best friend again." She picked up her straightener and went to work on her hair. I watched her, thinking how difficult it would be to have to go through that process every morning. I continued staring at her once she moved on to putting on more makeup.

"You don't need it," I reminded her.

"I look like death without it," she retorted.

"Well then death must be so gorgeous it hurts," I said, smiling at her. She rolled her eyes and tried not to smile.

"Should I wear a dress? Or is that trying too hard? What about dress pants? No, I'll feel like a teacher or something. Skinny jeans? Regular jeans? Shorts? A skirt?" God, it must be hard being a girl. So many damn choices.

"Skinny jeans, Thalia. Be you," I said, sounding dangerously close to Dr. Phil or Oprah.

"Oh my god. Do not go all Disney Channel on me," she said, causing me to laugh. "Skinny jeans though? You think?"

"I do. I mean, you'll look amazing no matter what, babe. But I especially like you in skinny jeans," I told her, winking. She blushed and turned around into her closet to hide it. I came up behind her and she shuffled through her clothes and wrapped my arms around her waist. I buried my face in her neck. She smelled like awesome. If awesome had a scent. I made a sound of approval and she cleared her throat. I raised my head to see she was holding up a shirt.

"No," I told her. That neckline was way too low. She put it back and pulled out another one. It was too dressy. I shook my head and she sighed. Thalia took out a button up, but I once again told her no.

"Well then what?" she asked, sounding a little frustrated. I laughed and pointed to my favorite shirt of hers. She plucked it from the closet and chuckled. "I should have known."

"You know, you were wearing that the day I met you," I told her.

"How could I forget," Thalia said, impressed that I remembered.

"What was your first impression of me?" I asked her.

"Hot. Dangerous looking. Possibly a gang member. Kind eyes. Awesome because you liked Green Day. Pretty teeth," Thalia stated from memory.

"Pretty teeth?" I questioned, laughing a little.

"Yeah. I like your pearly whites. Now let me go so I can change. I frowned and fell back onto the bed, covering my eyes. "Really? You've already seen basically all of me," she stated.

"So? Doesn't mean I shouldn't be a gentleman," I responded.

"Good answer," Thalia said, praising me. I laughed and waited until she told me to look. I did so and beamed. She looked pretty much the same as the first day I met her.

I jumped up and spun her around. She slapped my arm, but I just laughed and kissed her. "You look perfect," I confessed. She smiled and kissed me again.

"You always say that."

"And I mean it every time."

"Oh, gag me with a spoon. Seriously? Which movie am I watching? Lifetime or Disney?" Annabeth said from the doorway.

Thalia and I laughed. "Can they kiss in Disney movies?" I asked.

"Sometimes," Thalia told me.

"Huh. I thought that would taint the virgin minds of young children," I said. Annabeth nodded in agreement.

"Anyways, you guys have to come help set the table. It's about ten minutes until se – " Thalia frowned as the doorbell interrupted her. "It's probably just Jason and Piper, don't freak," Annabeth told her.

Thalia nodded and headed downstairs to the door. As predicted, it was Jason and Piper. Thalia leaned forward and hugged Jason. "I'm sorry," she grumbled.

"Me too. So sorry," Jason said earnestly. She nodded, letting them in after giving Piper a hug.

"Just sit in here until we have the table set," Annabeth said, sounding like a waitress.

Jason and Piper nodded, falling onto the couch. They were both wearing jeans and dress shirts, and I saw Thalia's relieved look. She was glad everyone was wearing jeans like her. We headed into the kitchen and helped Mrs. Christine lay everything out on the table. Or tables. They'd brought in a second one from the garage, according to Annabeth. There was a nice tablecloth on top so I was careful while setting the food on the table. As it got closer to seven, Thalia started wringing her hands and biting her lip anxiously. I wrapped my hands around hers.

"Calm down, Thalia," I told her quietly. She looked up at me and I noticed fear in her expression. I squeezed her hands. "It'll be fine, okay?"

She nodded. "You're right. It'll be okay. It has to be," she rambled. Jason and Piper entered, taking their seat at the table. Thalia stayed standing, so I stood as well. Mr. and Mrs. Chase were already seated, Bobby and Matthew in matching sweater vests. Annabeth marched in, sighing as she sat next to her father.

The doorbell rang and Thalia's eyes widened. "Oh shit," she said under her breath. I grabbed her hand and pulled her to the door. I ordered her to take a deep breath and she did.

"Are you calm?" I asked, my hand on the doorknob. She nodded and I opened the door to see a replica of Jason. However, he had salt and pepper hair. Thalia peeked over my shoulder and gasped. She hid back behind my back.

"I take it you aren't Thalia," the older man joked. I laughed and shook my head.

"No sir. I'm Nico DiAngelo," I told him, thrusting out my hand. I shook his hand firmly and let him in. I yanked Thalia from behind my back and she gripped my hand until my knuckled turned white. "This is Thalia," I told him. He smiled and nodded to Thalia.

"I'm Zeus. Terrible father at your service," he told her, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

Thalia smirked. "Hi." She then turned on her heel and walked into the dining room. Zeus followed after us.

"I'm Zeus!" he said loudly, holding his hands up. _Wow, dramatic much?_

Mr. Chase stood up and help out his hand as Thalia and I took our seats. "Frederick. This is my wife Christine. The two twins are Bobby and Matthew."

"Thank you for caring after my daughter. It was nothing but generous," Zeus said formally.

"She was no trouble at all," Mrs. Christine said brightly, smiling at Thalia. "She's great!" Thalia smiled at her politely.

"Where is she?" Thalia whispered, low enough for my ears only. I put a comforting hand on her thigh.

"It's fine. She'll be here," I told her soothingly. I noticed Jason glaring at me across the table. I had a feeling he knew I was touching her, so I removed my hand. No need to add the protective brother to the already very complicated situation. His look relaxed when I put both my hands on the table pointedly. Jason nodded at me and I smirked.

The parents kept up a conversation, Zeus talking loudly and sometimes even over other people. The Chases kept on their polite voices and Annabeth talked to Piper and Jason. The twins were fighting with their forks as though they were swords and Thalia was fidgeting. I grabbed both of her hands. "Stop," I told her.

"I can't! It's already 7:20 and she's not here!" Thalia said, sounding on the verge of hysteria.

"What do you think about going ahead and starting? Maybe she'll just be a little late," I tried to reason. Thalia nodded and I looked at Mrs. Christine. "Why don't we start?" I asked her.

She stood up. "Okay, everyone!" Mrs. Christine clapped her hands a few times to get all the attention. "Let's start eating. Mrs. Grace isn't here yet, but we wouldn't want the food to be cold now would we?" she asked good-naturedly.

Everyone nodded or agreed and we started passing around food. After our plates were full, Mrs. Christine said a quick blessing. I saw Thalia frown out of the corner of my eye. "We never pray," she muttered. I set my hand on her knee and I felt the tension fall from her body. I tried to take all her anxiety, and she seemed to calm down a bit more. I removed my hand and started on my food. Everyone complimented Mrs. Christine's cooking. She gave her thanks.

"So, son, is this the pretty young lady you were gushing about on the phone?" Zeus asked forwardly.

Jason shot him a panicked look. "Dad!" he hissed.

Piper laughed. "If her name was Piper, then yes. It's nice to finally meet the father figure of Jason. You've done well raising him, honest. He's great," Piper said, saving Jason.

"I know," Zeus said, winking at his son. "It's nice to meet 'the most beautiful girl to ever walk the earth' according to my son." Piper blushed and Jason face-palmed.

"I hate my life," Jason muttered. We all laughed and Zeus turned his attention to us. Thalia stiffened.

"So, Nico, was it?" he asked.

"Yes sir," I replied.

"And your relationship with my daughter is…?" Zeus asked.

"Oh my god!" Thalia said. "Dad, really?" Zeus gave a small smile when she called him 'Dad'.

"Am I not allowed to ask?" he asked, cocking his head.

"No, it's fine," I told him. "I'm, uh, dating your daughter."

Zeus nodded. "Very well. Nico, if you don't mind me asking, who are your parents? I own a large company and – "

"Dad, no," Thalia said, cutting him off and shaking her head.

I waved my hand, attempting to look carefree. "It's okay, Thalia," I said. "Hades and Maria DiAngelo," I told him.

"Hades!" he boomed excitedly. I nodded slowly. "Oh, he's one of my best salesmen! Sells loads of gold for me. He's one of my right hand men. I see the resemblance now," he told me.

I was a bit taken aback. I honestly hadn't known if he was dead or alive. "Thank you?" I asked, a bit confused at what my response should be. Zeus laughed loud and full.

The doorbell sounded and Thalia tensed, looking at me with panic evident in her eyes. It rang several more times and I stood, pulling on her hand. She followed reluctantly. The doorbell rang around twenty times. I opened the door, a little annoyed.

There stood a woman who looked vaguely familiar, chugging a bottle of wine and tossing it into the bushes. She was wearing a short dress, and didn't look a day over thirty. "Mother," Thalia said through gritted teeth.

"Baby!" her mom said loudly. "How are you?" She turned her gaze on me. "Oh, who's he? He's cute, baby! Is he single? How old?" her mother asked. My eyes widened.

"No Mom! He's not single," Thalia snapped. "And thanks for being here on time," she said bitterly.

"Oh, I had an interview or something," Thalia's mom said, waving it off. She swayed a little but caught herself and stepped through the doorway, kicking off her heels. "Christine!" she called out in a sing-song voice.

Mrs. Christine appeared a few seconds later with a smile. She soon frowned when she saw Thalia's mother's state. "Oh, Jazz," she said, shaking her head. Oh, right. Thalia's mom's name was Jasmine!

"Yeah?" she said.

"I'll get you some water," Mrs. Christine said quietly.

"Okay!" Jasmine/Thalia's mom said. She moved into the dining room. "Jason! Zeus, baby! Random other people!" she slurred.

"Oh my god," Thalia said, looking miserable. I rubbed her back, but I doubt it helped. Jasmine fell into a chair.

"Where's the food?" she asked obnoxiously. Zeus looked as though he was enjoying her making a fool of herself and Jason was staring at her in horror. Everyone else looked sympathetic for Thalia, besides the twins who were oblivious.

"Cold," Thalia said, her voice laced with venom.

"Harsh!" Jasmine yelled. "No need to be icy, Thalia! You'll become a penguin," she said, giggling as though it were the funniest thing she'd ever heard. Mrs. Christine set water down in front of her and Jasmine gulped it down. "So, what do you people need to talk to me about?"

"Adoption," Mr. Chase said. "We would love to adopt Thalia. She's a wonderful girl and we already consider her part of the family."

"Oh, so you want to take my daughter from me?" she asked rudely.

"Mom, it's not like that," Thalia said.

"Yes it is!" her mother yelled. Thalia's jaw clenched. Mr. Chase stood and picked up some papers off the counter.

"You see, Mrs. Grace – "

"Call me Jasmine, sweetie!" she said, winking at him. She was back to being nice now.

"Jasmine," he corrected, not phased at all by her flirtatiousness. "All we need is for you to sign these papers."

"I love giving out autographs!" she said, snatching the papers and signing at the bottom. It was halfway on and halfway off the line. "It's always nice to see a fan!" Jasmine shouted, slurring her words.

"Mom, your limo's waiting," Thalia said, obviously wanting her mother to leave. I guess the deed is done.

"Oh, right! I have to go! It was nice meeting all of you die-hard fans. I love you all!" Jasmine said, blowing kisses and winking at everyone.

Thalia carted her mother off and came back in a few seconds. She fell into her seat. "Holy crap," she said.

"That was quite the show," Zeus mused.

"You're telling me," Thalia replied. "She's gone, thank goodness. Did she sign it right?"

"Yeah, it's done," Mr. Chase said, sounding confused. "I don't think she understood though."

"It doesn't matter. I doubt I'll talk to her much anymore," Thalia said. I squeezed her hand.

"Well, I'd love to stay, but I'm afraid I have some business to take care of before the night ends. It was lovely to meet you all. And Christine, the food was wonderful," Zeus said, standing.

"Oh, it was our pleasure," Mrs. Christine said.

Zeus nodded. "Thalia, a moment?" Thalia nodded and stood. Once she noticed I wasn't following, she smacked the back of my head.

"Come on!" she said. Everyone laughed as I stood and trailed after her. After we were by the door, Zeus turned to Thalia.

"I'm sorry for not being there, Thalia. I truly am – " he started.

"Dad, let's just forget it." He nodded and held out a hand for Thalia to shake. She obliged and Zeus turned on me.

"You hurt her, and it will be your funeral," he said, seriousness written all over his face.

"I understand, sir. Jason's given me the same message," I told him, shaking his hand. "And I'm pretty sure I love her too much to hurt her intentionally."

"I believe you," he said, turning and heading to his car. He turned and waved before ducking into his car. When I glanced down at Thalia she was beaming at me.

"You handle parents well," she told me.

"Thank you," I told her. She turned and headed to the dining room. "No 'thank you' kiss?" I asked, sounding sad.

"Maybe I was waiting until later when we had more time," she said, smirking at me.

"Oh," I stated stupidly. Thalia laughed and pulled me to everyone else. They all looked relaxed now that everyone besides Piper, Jason and I had left.

At that moment, Jason stood, stretching. "I should probably be getting Piper home," he said. "It is a school night." Piper rolled her eyes and thanked everyone, saying her goodbyes. Jason gave Thalia a hug and clapped me on the back before leaving.

"I should probably go, too," I said. "The food was amazing, Mrs. Christine. You'll be seeing me here more often if you cook like that all the time," I told her with a smile. She nodded and grinned. "Mr. Chase, it was nice seeing you. Bye, Bobby and Matthew," I said, waving.

"Bye, Nico!" the twins chorused.

"I'll walk you out," Thalia told me. I nodded and grabbed her hand. We walked to my car and I unlocked it, opening my door. I leaned against it.

"Night," I told her, leaning forward and kissing her. She deepened the kiss, stepping closer to me. I put my hands on her waist and her arms went around my neck. The porch lights flickered and I laughed into the kiss. She pulled back and groaned.

"No privacy," she grumbled. I laughed again and kissed her once more.

"I love you," I told her.

"I love you, too," Thalia said.

"See you later, beautiful." I winked at her.

"See you later… sexy?" she asked questioningly.

"It works," I said, laughing. She smiled and turned to walk back up the steps. I watched her until she entered the door and hopped into my car. I went home, quickly changing into my bed clothes. Otherwise, I was shirtless with some sweatpants over my boxers.

"Night, B," I said as I took off her necklace. "Don't let the bedbugs bite," I muttered.

My head hit the pillow and I fell asleep instantly, not waking up once in the middle of the night.

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	17. Chapter XVI - Thalia

_Summary: Thalia's mother doesn't exactly care and Nico isn't exactly okay. When Thalia moves to San Francisco, she gets new friends, a loving family, and, who knows? She might even fall in love if she's lucky. Two darkened pasts; can they find solace in one another?_

Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or characters I adopt from those books. Merely the characterization and plot are mine.

Chapter XVI; Thalia

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As soon as Nico left, the fake smile dropped from my face. I was angry. Disappointed. Hurt.

All I asked my mother for was one night. One night for her to act normal and be presentable. What I got was a drunk, slurring, swaying, obnoxious mom for a night. She was worse now. She seemed skinny, frailer than I last saw her. I was worried, but I wasn't sure that I could help her anymore. I forgive her for everything, now that I understand. I know why she drinks. Fame can get to you.

I was hurt that she didn't care enough about me to stay sober for one dinner. An hour long, maybe a little more. So many different emotions swam through me that I wanted to scream, cry and laugh all at the same time.

I tried to look on the bright side. I had made up with Jason. I was still a little upset that he had kept it from me, but I see why he did. He did it for my benefit. And maybe that was it. I hated when people did things to benefit me. I was independent. I didn't need help.

I needed to clear my head. It was late, but I didn't care. I dashed up the stairs and threw on a pair of sweatpants. I plugged in my earphones to my iPod and I put them on. I walked back down the stairs and slipped out the door.

I started at a brisk walk, which turned into a light jog. I hadn't run in a while. I used to every day with my mother, back when she was mildly sober. They wanted her to stay in shape. I was basically her personal fitness director. I turned up my iPod to full blast, not caring where my feet were taking me. I saw a park up ahead and I slowed my pace. I was out of shape. I walked to the swing set and fell into one.

"Isn't it kinda late?" a voice asked behind me. I gasped and jumped, turning around. I slipped off my headphones so that I didn't appear rude. It was at a silent part in the song anyways, but whatever.

"And it's your business how?" I asked. Maybe it was a little rude, but I was having a pretty shitty night. I realized that it was a guy as he stepped into the light. He had blue eyes. They looked like the clear spring water you see at times. Blue, but just the lightest shade. His hair was bleach blonde. He was cute, definitely, but compared to Nico, he was nothing. I noticed a scar running from his eye down his cheek, but I pretended not to see it. Nico didn't like his scars, so I guessed that he wouldn't either.

He held up his hands in the general motion for 'I surrender!' "Sorry. I was just hoping that there was someone out here with a life as screwed up as mine." He let out a bitter laugh. I felt a little sympathy for him, but I turned away. It could be a cover story. He could kidnap me and rape me.

Blondie sat down next to me as though I had invited him. "Please, take a seat," I grumbled.

"It's a public park, is it not?" he asked me. I looked away, knowing he was right. "I'm Luke," he told me, offering his hand.

I ignored it. "Grace," I lied, not wanting to tell him my full name for some reason.

"Grace," he repeated, staring at me curiously.

"Is there a problem with that?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Luke laughed. "Oh, no. You just don't seem like a Grace."

I rolled my eyes. "Look, I should get going," I said, standing up. I was ready to get away from him. He creeped me out.

"No, wait," he said suddenly. I stopped and waited. "Why were you here so late tonight?" Luke asked.

"Nosy much?" I responded with attitude. He looked out at the horizon, staring at the stars touching the sea. A flash of pain crossed his face and I felt bad. "Look," I said, sighing. "I'm sorry. Shitty night," I told him.

He nodded. "I can relate. My mother's crazy. Literally. She thinks I'm still nine years old. My dad will leave for weeks at a time and drop in when he feels up to it. I hate him," Luke said, venom lacing his voice. I was a little surprised he had opened up to me, and I felt obligated to give him something in return.

"My mother's a drunk. All the time. Even times when I need her most," I said in a small voice. He turned his head to look at me. "I just met my dad for the first time today. We met under pretty bad circumstances."

Luke nodded. "I guess all teenagers have parent problems, huh?"

"Some more than others," I added.

"I'm in that category," he said, laughing a little.

I smiled, despite the horrible night. "I'm right beside you."

"Thanks," Luke said, turning to face me. "Thanks for reminding me I'm not the only one with problems."

"You're welcome, but I really must be going," I said, trying to add an apologetic tone to my voice. Luke nodded and looked back at the stars. "See you around?" I asked awkwardly, not really knowing what to say.

Luke gave me a small smile. "It fate allows it." I raised an eyebrow at his cryptic answer, but I turned on my heel and put my headphones back on. I jogged away from the park, feeling odd about the random stranger. He seemed nice, of course, but he could have been a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Now, I added guilt to my huge cauldron of emotions. I wasn't sure why I felt it. It's not like I was being disloyal to Nico by talking to another guy. Did I feel guilty about lying to Luke? Did I feel guilty about being so harsh towards my mother? I sighed out loud, slowing down as I approached the house. I grabbed the extra key from the flower pot outside and frowned when I saw the broken wine glass. Mom left her mark.

I slipped inside quietly, heading up the stairs. There was an eerie silence in the house. I opened the door to mine and Annabeth's bedroom and I lay down. I tried to sleep. I tried so, so hard. My mind would just not call it quits. I was thinking of Luke, from the park. I was wondering about my mother. If she even made it home alive. I thought of my father. I thought of Nico. I turned over in bed, desperate to get comfortable. It was a school night. After about an hour of tossing and turning, I got up. I pried open the window and moved to sit on the roof. I breathed in the fresh air and pulled my knees to my chest.

I wanted a simple life.

I wanted my mother to be like any other mother, not a famous, drunken one. I wanted a dad that was there during my childhood. I wanted a brother who could have been with me my whole life. Lately, I find myself saying 'I want'. I can wish and hope and complain to my liking, but if it's not absolutely necessary, I know I won't get it. If there is a god, he knew that I could handle this. He knows I'm strong enough. This gives me the strength to keep going. Knowing that someone out there cares.

_Nico cares,_ a voice whispers into my mind. And I know he does. My thoughts stray to him, and I smile as I think of all the times he'd kiss me in the middle of a sentence. If I love anything, it's spontaneity. I sighed and leaned back, staring up at the stars. Nico's probably the best thing that's ever happened to me. I laughed quietly, connecting the stars in my mind and simply remembering. Remembering the little things about him. The little things he does for me. The little things that made me fall for him so easily.

Before I knew it, my eyelids felt heavy. I reentered the bedroom and slid into my bed, feeling my breathing slow as I drifted off.

I woke up to someone shaking me fiercely. I tried to hit them, but they caught my hand. "Leave. Me. Alone," I growled not even opening my eyes.

"We. Are. Late," I heard Annabeth say. I groaned and sat up, glaring at the clock. "Come on!" she urged.

I stood up slowly, rubbing my hands on my face. I stumbled down the stairs and got some coffee. Someone knocked at the door, so I walked over slowly, sipping my coffee. I opened the door to see Nico leaning on the doorframe with a smile. He kissed my cheek, smirking a little when he saw I was running late. "Need help getting dressed?" he asked, his tone low.

I rolled my eyes and finished my coffee. I handed him the cup. "There's more in the kitchen. Help yourself. I'll be done in five," I promised. He nodded and walked to the kitchen. I jogged up the steps to our door. Annabeth was on the phone and pulling a shirt over her head.

"I know!" she said loudly. "I'm actually trying to, mind you. No. I'll drive, just go to school. You can't get another tardy. No, you can't use me as an excuse. I don't care! Go!" Annabeth said. I couldn't hear the other end of the conversation, but I assumed it was Percy. Her expression softened. "Yeah, yeah. Love you, too." She hung up and threw her cell phone on the bed. "Who was at the door?"

"Nico," I told her, straightening my hair at lightning speed. I pulled on a shirt and some jeans, not even looking at what I put on. I grabbed my make-up bag and hurried down the stairs. I snatched my binders off the kitchen counter and walked to the door. Nico appeared out of nowhere and I dropped my stuff, startled. I slapped his arm. "Jerk," I muttered.

He laughed and picked up my stuff. Nico glared at my make-up bag. "Don't say it," I warned. He gave me a lopsided grin and opened the car door for me. I sat down and put down the visor with the mirror. I adjusted myself until I could see and began my make-up process. Nico fell into the drivers' seat.

"I'm so tired," he groaned.

"I know," I said, sighing.

"Let's skip," Nico said, out of nowhere. I raised an eyebrow and he continued. "Come on, Thalia! We haven't skipped in forever!" Well, I did say I loved spontaneity.

"Yeah, I have a lot of absences though," I said remorsefully. I would rather do anything than go to school, however…

"Well, what's one more going to do?" Nico asked, smiling at me.

"Make me fail." He frowned and pulled over.

"Please?" he asked, looking me in the eye. "I'll do absolutely anything. Anything." He clasped his hands together as his eyes pleaded with me.

"Nico," I started, "as much as I would love to skip with you, my math teacher will have my head if I miss another day."

"I'll kill her first," he said, with such a straight face that I had to laugh. He joined in after a second. "Come on, Thalia," Nico said. "I'll love you forever!"

I looked at him. "You weren't planning on it before?" I asked, glaring at him.

"Of course I was," he whispered, leaning in and kissing me on the cheek. "But I was trying to use it as bribery."

"You'd have to use something stronger than that," I told him, turning around so that my back was to the dashboard. I leaned against it and turned to stare at him.

He cocked his head to the side with a cute look of confusion. "Something stronger than loving you forever?" Nico asked quizzically. I nodded. He looked off into the distance for a second, then he grinned at me. Nico got out of the car and waved for me to follow. I obliged, but only because I wanted to see where he was going with this.

I walked around the car to him. "Yes?" I asked. He picked me up and set me on the hood.

"Remember that one day at the mall?" he asked. I blushed. _Oh, yeah…_

"Um, yeah?" I said.

Nico beamed at me. "That was the day we almost kissed, remember?" I nodded slowly. "Wanna pick up where we left off?" he asked, smirking at me.

I was about to protest when he kissed me anyways. I smiled, momentarily forgetting about school and pulled him closer. He laughed into the kiss and I pulled back. "What?" I asked, trying and failing to wipe the smile off my face.

"Nothing. I just really, really wish I would've done this then," he said, sitting next to me and pulling me into his lap. "Shall we watch the clouds?"

He leaned back against the windshield and we looked up. I watched in silence for a few minutes, focusing on the rise and fall of his chest and the puffy white clouds. "Sing for me," he whispered.

"Why are you so fascinated with my voice?" I asked teasingly. He hugged me closer and rested his head on my shoulder. He never answered me. "Hello?"

"Hm? Sorry, I was thinking about how much I love you," Nico said cheesily. I scoffed and rolled my eyes.

"Uh-huh. Sure. Anyways, why do you like my voice so much?" I repeated.

"Because. It's beautiful," he told me. I blushed and looked to the sky. "Sing," he said once again.

I sighed. "What would you like? Any requests?"

"Our song."

"Thunder?" I asked. He kissed my temple as a reply. I closed my eyes and smiled. It was the first time he'd ever called it our song, and I found it fitting. I sang the whole song for him, occasionally laughing or smiling at how accurate the lyrics were for our relationship. When I finished, I kept my eyes closed, enjoying the comfortable silence that followed. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes.

"Dance with me," Nico said. I laughed.

"No music," I told him.

"That's what the radio is for," he said sarcastically. I rolled my eyes and sat up. He helped me off the car and started it. He turned it to a rock station that definitely wasn't a slow song, but he put his arms around my waist anyways. I wrapped my arms around his neck and laid my head on his chest. We swayed to the song although it was much more fast-paced.

"So does this mean we get to skip?" he asked. I could hear the smile in his voice and I smacked his arm half-heartedly. "I'll take that as a yes," Nico said, burying his face in my hair. A car drove by and the person driving gave us a pretty odd look, but I just laughed.

"I'm sorry about your mother," Nico said quietly. "I know you probably don't want to talk about it, but I felt horrible about it. Would you like for me to say the word 'about' one more time?" he asked, trying to lighten the mood after saying such a somber thing. I smiled.

"Let's go home," he said.

"Yours?" I asked. He gave me an obvious look. "Keys." Nico tossed them to me while walking to the passenger seat. "Do you have coffee?" I asked.

"Of course," he told me, buckling his seatbelt. I nodded and put the car into drive. Halfway through the drive, he intertwined his fingers with mine. "Is it creepy that I miss your hands sometimes?"

I laughed lightly. "Not at all. I miss your face all the time." He chuckled and squeezed my hand. "I love your eyes," I told him, without any permission from my brain.

"Why? They're just brown," he said, looking at me curiously.

I shook my head. "No, I love them. Eyes don't have to be colorful to be gorgeous. Yours hold more depth than any pair of eyes I've ever seen. I guess it's because you've been through so much." The last part was more of a whisper, but I know he heard me because he nodded.

"I love that you could care less about what anyone thinks. You play by your own rules, and I think that's what makes you so unique. Plus, you like Green Day. That always helps," Nico told me. I thought about what he said. I mean, I did play by my own rules, but I figured that would be annoying. Some people can't stand different people.

I pulled up into his apartment parking lot; turning off the car and getting out. He ran over to me and pulled on my hand. "You know, we have unfinished business here too," Nico said with a wink. I laughed, remembering the second and final almost-kiss before we pretty much attacked each other. We walked hand in hand to his door and he stopped and pushed me up against the wall, stealing a kiss. "And finished," Nico said, taking the keys out of my hand and unlocking the door. I laughed and pushed past him.

"Pick out a movie," he told me. I nodded and fell onto the couch after I started up the Wii and the TV.

"What're you feeling?" I called. "Horror, comedy, romance, thriller…" I asked, trailing off.

"I think you know the answer," he said from the kitchen. _Horror._ I smiled and turned on a chick flick. "No!" he yelled in fear, running to the TV and turning it off. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Dramatic much?" I asked, laughing.

"I know I implied horror, but you didn't have to turn on the scariest movie on Netflix!" I laughed louder. "Sleepovers are scarier than Michael Myers."

I stopped and raised an eyebrow. "Even our sleepovers?" He blushed at the way the question sounded and cleared his throat. Nico walked back into the kitchen without a word. I chuckled and started up the TV once again. I picked out Shutter Island, purely because I liked Leonardo DiCaprio.

I paused it and went into the kitchen. Nico was making coffee so I started with the popcorn. My phone vibrated in my pocket and I pulled it out. Annabeth texted me.

Where are you? – A

Nico's… – T

You shouldn't skip school, Thalia! – A

It's Monday! – T

So? Whatever, I have to go. See you later! – A

Bye! – T

I pulled the now finished popcorn out of the microwave and poured it into a bowl. I went to the pantry and nearly cried. "Nico!" I said.

"Hm?" he asked, turning to face me, moving closer. "What's wrong?"

I pointed into the pantry. He glanced and cracked a smile. "Oh."

"Explain why there are no Fudge Rounds!" I said, completely serious. He was never out of Fudge Rounds.

"I'll go buy you some," he said, picking up his keys and heading for the door. I tried to stop him, now feeling bad for overreacting. However, he waved me off. "I got it, Thalia. Just make your coffee," Nico told me as he closed the door. I sighed and found a coffee cup.

As I poured my coffee, I had the sudden craving for pizza. I called the nearest pizzeria and ordered two large pepperoni pizzas for delivery. I sipped my coffee after hanging up the phone and walked into the living room. I fell onto the couch, deleting all my messages in my phone to pass the time. After the task of deletion was done, I changed into more comfortable pants from Nico's room. Just as I sat on the couch once again, the door bell rang. I sighed and stood up, praying it was the pizza. I opened the door to see a familiar face.

I gave the guy a quizzical look, trying to figure out how I knew him. I saw a jagged scar on his cheek and I remembered that we'd talked at the park. He smiled and handed me my pizzas. "Nice to see you again, Grace," he told me. I nodded and smiled.

"Luke. One second, I have to get money." I started walking to the kitchen when I remembered that my bag was in Nico's car. I turned back to him with an apologetic look. "You may have to wait a few minutes." He nodded and I stepped outside the apartment, not feeling right inviting him in, but not feeling right leaving him out here.

"How's your mother?" I asked cautiously.

He shrugged. "Yours?"

I laughed with no humor. "Probably drunk." He gave me an apologetic look and we changed the subject to something else. We talked for a few minutes when I heard footsteps. I turned my head to see Nico, looking like the badass he is with his leather jacket and new combat boots. I smiled and waved.

He handed me the bag. "As promised." He set his sights on Luke. "Who's this?" Nico asked. His tone wasn't unfriendly, but it wasn't exactly nice.

"Luke," I explained. "I met him yesterday on accident."

"A fortunate accident," Luke said, sounding amused. Nico narrowed his eyes the slightest bit. No one else would've noticed it besides me.

"Anyways, I ordered pizza. And I left my money in your car, so I couldn't pay him until you got back." Nico laughed slightly.

"I got it," he said, pulling out his wallet. "How much, man?"

"$14.50," Luke said. Nico handed him a ten and a five.

"You can keep the fifty cent. I don't know how far it'll get you, but it's something," Nico said, nodding at him. He turned to the door and opened it. I told him I'd be there in a second and he glanced at Luke for a moment before looking back to me and saying, "Okay."

He slipped inside the door and left it ajar for me. "Is he your boyfriend?" Luke asked out of nowhere.

I smiled, looking at the door. "Yeah. He is."

"Well, I hope you guys have a wonderful relationship. Also, I hope our paths cross again later, Grace." He turned and left, leaving me to wonder what that meant. And did I detect a bit of sarcasm in his first statement? I sighed and walked into the apartment.

Nico gave me an odd look. "What?" I asked.

"Nothing," he said. I rolled my eyes. It was obviously not 'nothing'.

"Jealous?" I asked, smirking.

"No," he said, dragging out the word to make it even less believable. I laughed.

"You so were!" I accused.

"No, I wasn't!" he denied.

"Own up! You were jealous and you know it!" I teased.

"Fine! Maybe a little," he grumbled. I laughed and kissed his shoulder.

"No need to be," I told him as I grabbed my popcorn and a box of pizza. Nico grabbed his box and followed me. I pressed play and we ate our pizza and popcorn. Usually, we could each finish a box by ourselves. I watched the movie, commenting here in there saying things were odd or creepy. As the movie ended, I pulled Nico into his room and threw him on the bed.

He raised an eyebrow. "You have no idea how suggestive this seems," he told me. I blushed but rolled my eyes. I walked over to his drawers by his bed to get a shirt, but he put a hand on my wrist. Nico kept his hand there for a second before removing it again. I gave him a questioning look, but he acted like nothing happened. I opened the drawer to see hundreds of pictures scattered. I gathered them all up.

My eyes widened at the one on top. Nico was in yellow. _Yellow. _I sat on his lap and started flipping through the pictures, curious. "This is before," he told me quietly. I understood, so I nodded and continued sorting. There was this red headed chick that kept reappearing in the pictures. In one of the pictures, she was kissing Nico's cheek. I raised both my eyebrows and looked at him. He shrugged. "Past life."

I went back to the pictures, frowning. "Nico, why is your hair gelled?"

He let out a small, bitter laugh. "I was one of them."

"The polo wearing, hair-gelled guys that reek of strong cologne?" I asked. He nodded.

"After Bianca, they all backed off from me. They were my best friends," he said, sounding a little hurt. I put my hand on his chest and rubbed small circles.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be looking at these," I told him, setting them in the drawer. As I pulled out a shirt, something fell to the ground. I stood up and retrieved it.

"Everyone else was getting one," Nico told me as I stared at the ring. The gem was obsidian, pure black and gorgeous. He saw me admiring it and closed my hand around it. "Keep it, please," Nico told me. I smiled and nodded.

I put it on his dresser and turned my back to him, pulling off my shirt and replacing it with his. He was blushing really bad when I turned around and I laughed. "I see you with your shirt off all the time," I told him.

"So not the same." I chuckled and laid down with him. He wrapped his arm around me. "Let's quit school. I hate it," Nico said.

I groaned. "Me too. But Mrs. Christine would never let me quit, sadly." Nico fake-frowned and ended up laughing at his own facial expression. "Sleep," I told him.

He tightened his arm around me to pull my closer and kissed me before closing his eyes. "Night, babe," he said.

_It's not nighttime,_ I thought. I didn't correct him though. I kissed him again and settled next to him, letting myself fall asleep.

When I woke up again, school would be ending in around an hour. I woke Nico up too and he glared at me. "No," he said, rolling over.

"Nico!" I protested. "We only have an hour."

"Great," he said. "Let's sleep the whole time."

"Babe!" I said, dragging out the word. I heard him laugh and I smiled "What?"

"You calling me 'babe' is weird," Nico said, as though it were obvious. I rolled my eyes and yanked on his hand. He fell to the floor like a bag of bricks and groaned. "Babe!" he complained.

"So, you can call me 'babe', but I can't call you that?" I asked.

"Yes." He stood up and walked past me and into the kitchen, heading straight for the fridge. "So hungry." I nodded in agreement.

"Chinese?" he asked.

"Hells yes!" I said, grabbing his keys.

"You may want to change," Nico commented. I looked down and laughed. I was wearing guy sweatpants and Nico's shirt. I left the room and went back into his to change. Within minutes, I was back in my regular clothes and pulling on my converse. Nico was leaning against the door in what was probably a bad attempt at looking cool. I walked up to him, now fully ready to go.

"Password?" he asked, his eyes glinting with humor. I leaned up and kissed him. After I pulled away, he kept his eyes closed for a few seconds. Then he opened the door. "You may pass." I laughed and walked past him.

Once we got to the car, he opened the door for me then took his place in the drivers' seat. He drove us to the mall we had visited a few times before. They had the best Chinese food as far as I was concerned. Once Nico and I were walking from his car and towards the doors, I got an idea.

"What the hell?" Nico said as I jumped on his back. Then he laughed, remembering the day. "Nice touch," he commented. I smiled and kissed his neck, just like the day at the mall. When I glanced at his face, I had to stifle a laugh at how red he was.

"Thalia, we probably shouldn't do that in public," Nico said. I heard the humor in his voice and I smiled.

"Well, why not?" I asked.

"Because. The only reason I didn't attack you that day was because we weren't together. And I still had a tiny sliver of self-control when it came to you. That's no longer the case," he told me.

"So, basically, if I don't stop, you might throw yourself at me?" I asked, trying to confirm.

"Quite possibly."

"I'm okay with that." I heard him laugh and he set me back on the ground, steadying me to make sure I didn't fall.

"I might have to take you up on that one day," Nico said.

"I'll be waiting," I said, walking in front of him. He rushed to catch up and grabbed my hand. We made a beeline for the Chinese restaurant and ordered our food, sitting down at one of the tables.

We were laughing and carrying on a conversation when the smile dropped from Nico's face. He muttered a curse word and gave me an annoyed look. "What?" I asked.

However, as soon as the word left my mouth, I heard another voice. "Grace!" I heard someone call.

"Shit," I muttered. I felt like this kid was following me. Seriously, the first night we met, he was talking about fate. Was it fate for this prick to stalk me? I sent Nico an apologetic look, but he missed it because he was staring off into space, trying to ignore Luke. I turned and plastered on a fake smile. "Hey."

Luke started walking toward us, smiling with a tray in his hand. "Oh my god," I said under my breath. _Please don't ask to sit here. Please don't ask to sit here. Please don't ask to –_

"Can I sit with you two?" he asked. I gestured for him to join, and he did, taking a seat next to me. "Thanks. So, how's your day been?" Luke questioned completely ignoring Nico's presence. I glance over at Nico to see how he was taking it, but he was gone. My mind went into overdrive, panicking a little. I looked around the room frantically. "He went to the bathroom, calm down," Luke told me, starting to eat.

"Oh," I said.

"So, how was your day?" he repeated.

"Good," I replied curtly.

"Mine was great," Luke said, ignoring my answer. I pushed down the urge to roll my eyes at his slight arrogance. "I basically hung around town all day until I saw this gorgeous and familiar girl at the mall," he said, winking at me. "That would be you."

"I have a boyfriend," I reminded him, averting my gaze.

"And if you didn't?" Luke asked me.

"What do you mean?" I questioned, narrowing my eyes.

"If you didn't have a boyfriend, would you appreciate that compliment more?" he clarified. I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"Totally. Without a doubt. Then I'd fall head over heels for you. And I'd throw myself at you, regardless of if we were on a table at the food court," I said, the sarcasm dripping from my voice.

"I was thinking the same thing!" he said, beaming. Was he immune to sarcasm? He was so vulnerable the other night, and now he's being a total ass.

"I have to go," I told him, picking up Nico's empty tray and putting it on the spot above the trash can. I gathered my stuff and looked around for Nico again. He was sitting outside on a bench, staring at nothing in particular. I sighed and walked out the doors to him. Nico's eyes shot up to mine and he smiled.

"Are we done here?" he asked. I nodded. "Yay!"

I laughed loudly. "That word sounds so weird coming out of your mouth," I told him. Nico chuckled and grabbed my hand, starting to walk towards the car. "I have to go home," I said reluctantly, noticing the time.

"I know," Nico said, sighing in the process. "That Luke guy pisses me off."

"I noticed. He's following me or something. And he totally tried to… how should I put this? 'Get with me'?" I said. Nico's eyes flashed and he turned towards the door.

"What a bitch-move! I should – " Nico started. I cut him off by putting a hand on his cheek. I gave him a look that clearly said 'hell no'. Nico moved away from my hand and walked in silence to his car.

"Look, I'm sorry. I know you're upset, but I don't want to cause any trouble," I told him, partly wishing I could go in there and give Luke an ass-kicking.

Nico just shook his head. "I'm not mad at you. I'm pissed that he's trying to pick you up or something, and I wasn't there. I should have been there to punch him."

I laughed a little. "Nico, it's fine. We won't see him again," I assured him.

"Well, if he's stalking you, I wouldn't exactly carve that into stone." I shrugged. Nico was right, but I didn't want to agree and make him more sure. We reached his car and I opened the door and slid in. Nico got in on the drivers' side. "Do you need to go home?"

"Sadly, yes," I said. He nodded and fake frowned, causing me to laugh. Nico smiled at me and backed out of the parking spot. Luke was walking out of the outlet mall, entering a store next to the door he exited.

"I'm so tempted to drive over there and run him over," Nico grumbled. I nodded in agreement. It was a pretty douchey thing he did there. Nico turned up the radio and we drove to my house in silence.

I, unsurprisingly, found myself staring at Nico. I'd stared a million times before, but I thought his jealously was adorable. I could still see remainders of it on his face. The way his eyes were slightly narrowed, and his jaw clenched.

"I know I'm beautiful, but this staring is making me uncomfortable," Nico joked. I laughed and looked away.

"You're cocky lately," I commented.

"And?" he asked.

"I like it," I confessed. I think cocky personalities are cool, as you aren't overboard arrogant.

Nico raised an eyebrow at me. I looked at him, daring him to say something. He winked, causing me to blush. Nico laughed at me and I looked out the window. We pulled up at my house, just as his laughter was dying down.

"Bye," I said, getting out of the car. I was halfway to my door when Nico called out my name. I turned around to see him taking confident strides toward me, my bag in his hand.

"You forgot this," Nico told me, handing me my bag. I accepted it and started to walk again. However, Nico pulled on my wrist. "Really? I can't kiss you goodbye?" he asked. I rolled my eyes and he smiled. "Guess I won't then." Nico dropped my wrist and turned around.

"Nico," I said, "stop acting stupid."

He turned and fake gasped. "Acting?"

I laughed. "Are you admitting to yourself that you really are stupid?" I asked him. He gave me a confused look, then realization dawned on him.

"Ohhhh," Nico said. I chuckled and dropped my bag. He walked back towards me and kissed me one. Then twice. Then a billion more times. I started laughing and pushing him away.

"Stop!" I exclaimed jokingly.

"Never," Nico said, giving me what was hopefully a final kiss. He pulled back and smiled. "Love you."

"I love you, too, but Mrs. Christine will be suspicious if I'm not inside soon." Nico groaned and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I know," I told him sympathetically.

He kissed my cheek and headed back to his car. "I love you," he said again.

"I love you, too," I repeated.

"Bye, babe."

"Bye… babe." I heard Nico's laughter even though he was already in his car. He gave me a final wave and drove away. I walked inside, only to see an angry Mrs. Christine. "What's wrong?" I asked her.

"Annabeth," she told me. I breathed a sigh of relief, glad that she didn't know we skipped.

"What about her?" I prompted.

"She was supposed to pick up and babysit the twins… an hour ago," Mrs. Christine explained. I saw the twins sitting at the table having an afternoon snack. "I picked them up myself. However, I had a meeting with a few friends I was going to attend. I haven't seen any of them in years."

"I'm so sorry. Would you like for me to call her?" I asked. I felt bad. She was going to have a reunion with old friends. But that's out of character for Annabeth; she's always on time.

"Already tried," Mrs. Christine said, sighing loudly.

"Well, then I'll call Percy." She nodded at me and I pulled out my phone. I found his number in my contacts and called him. After a few rings, he answered.

"Um, hey?" Percy said.

"Yeah. Hi. Where's Annabeth?" I asked him bluntly.

"At home?" Percy said suspiciously.

I squeezed my eyes shut, worried. "No, she's not actually. Did you drop her off?" I questioned.

"Nope, she drove. Is she okay?" he asked, sounding a little anxious.

I sighed. "We don't know." I heard him cuss. "Did she say anything?"

I heard Percy let out a breath. He was silent in thought for a moment. "Um… During school, she got a text, but she wouldn't tell me anything about it besides that it was an old friend. I thought it was suspicious, but I shrugged it off. I figured it was nothing important," Percy told me.

"Did she say a name?" I was hoping she did. Maybe, if we had a name, we could contact them through information and see if they know anything.

"Uh, something with a J. No, it was an L. Levi? Lucas? Luke! It was Luke!"

Shit.

"Ah, crap," I said aloud.

I heard rustling as though he were getting dressed. "What?" Percy asked.

"Nothing. Come get me, I'm at the house," I told him.

I was jogging up the stairs about to end the call when Percy's voice rang through the speaker again. "Annabeth's house?"

"Duh!" I said, annoyed. I hung up. "We'll find her Mrs. Christine!"

"I hope so!" Mrs. Christine called back. I glanced in the mirror quickly, wishing I had pepper spray or something to defend myself. _I have my fists,_I thought, heading back down the stairs. I went outside and sat down on the porch steps, waiting for Percy to arrive.

;;;


	18. Chapter XVII - Nico

_Summary: Thalia's mother doesn't exactly care and Nico isn't exactly okay. When Thalia moves to San Francisco, she gets new friends, a loving family, and, who knows? She might even fall in love if she's lucky. Two darkened pasts; can they find solace in one another?_

Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or characters I adopt from those books. Merely the characterization and plot are mine.

Chapter XVII; Nico (& Annabeth, briefly)

;;;

I was just walking through my apartment door when my phone rang. I saw Thalia on the caller ID, so I went ahead and answered. Had it been anyone else, I would have ignored the call. Nico Di Angelo was about to take another nap. "Hello?" I said.

"Yeah, hey. Annabeth's missing, but we think she's with Luke. Apparently, they're long-time friends or something," Thalia said, all in one breath. She sounded like she was about to have a panic attack.

"Luke?" I asked.

"Luke," she confirmed. "We're hoping he's still at the mall. We're on our way now."

"I'm coming," I told her, already turning around. I seriously needed to beat this Luke guy's ass.

"It's okay. I'm sure me and Percy can find her," Thalia assured me.

"Nope, I'm already halfway to my car. See you in a few minutes." I ended the call and ran the rest of the way to my car. Annabeth was like a sister to me, and if Luke put a hand on her, I'm sure both Percy and me will kill him.

I drove to the mall in a hurry, probably cutting people off. Most of the honking horns were meant for me. Whatever. I was trying to remember the name of the store Luke went in last. It was around forty-five minutes ago, but it was something. I know for sure that the writing was in blue. And it was right next to the food court.

I pulled up to the mall and jogged to the food court, looking at the stores around it. Old Navy. I walked over quickly, glancing inside. I didn't see Luke, but I opened the door anyways. I approached the cashiers. "Did any of you see a blonde guy? Weird scar down his face?" I asked, a little quickly.

They must have sensed my urgency because the girl nodded quickly. "Yes. He didn't buy anything though. He just left and went to another store," she said.

"Do you know which one?" I asked her.

She shook her head sadly. "I just know he went left." I thanked her and exited the store, running right into someone.

I recognized that it was a guy, so I didn't reach out to steady him. I thought that'd be weird. However, the guy steadied me. "Find anything, Nico?" he said. I looked up to see Percy and a frowning Thalia.

"Oh, hey, Percy, Thalia," I said. "And no. He went left from here." Percy sighed and started walking left, glancing in every store.

"You know, he could be in the back," Thalia pointed out. _Oh._

"She's right," I said.

"Duh," she joked. I laughed a little. "I'll go in this store and search. Percy, you take that one, and Nico, you go in that one." I nodded, walking to the store she assigned me. Actually, it wasn't a store. It was a restaurant. Joy.

I waltzed on in and scanned the place quickly. I even walked around once to make sure. People probably thought I was a creeper, but I just wanted to be sure. They definitely weren't in here. I exited the restaurant and saw Thalia walking out of hers. No Percy. At the same time, we started walking into Percy's assigned store. The cologne in this place made me want to choke. Plus, it was really dim in here, so if we wanted to locate Percy, it'd be hard.

"Come on," Thalia said, pulling on my hand. I followed, glancing behind me occasionally. We searched the whole store and didn't see Percy. "Maybe he's already outside?" Thalia questioned. I nodded and started leading her to the door, eager to get out of here. The clothes reminded me of my old life. The smell, too.

When we finally reached normal oxygen again, there was no Percy. I glanced at Thalia, feeling a little frantic. She got out her phone and called him, but there was no answer. I started looking around, hoping to see a tall, tan-ish guy. I spotted a fairly tall guy with black hair and I pulled on Thalia's hand. I followed him, hoping it was Percy. He went into an ice cream shop. I sighed and kept walking, knowing it was the only lead we had.

Once I reached the ice cream place, I realized three things. One, then guy I followed was not Percy. Two, the guy sat down at a table. Three, Luke and Annabeth were at that table, too. As if he knew we were there, Luke looked up, giving us a smile and waving us over. "Go," I told Thalia. "I'll find Percy." She nodded, wanting to stay close to Annabeth, and went in. I turned, trying to think where Percy would've gone.

As soon as I saw it, I knew he was in there. I sprinted to Ron Jon Surf Shop, probably looking like I was crazy. A mall security guy told me not to run, but I ignored him. I entered the shop, resuming a normal pace. I went straight to the surf attire and immediately saw Percy. In his defense, he was looking around for Annabeth, but I could also see him checking out some of the stuff in the store.

"Percy!" I said. His head snapped up and he gave me a sheepish grin. I rolled my eyes and pulled him by his shoulder, steering him out of the store. I smacked the back of his head. "Dumbass," I muttered.

"Hey!" Percy said defensively. I ignored him and pointed to the ice cream shop.

"You see that? In there, you will see Thalia, Luke and Annabeth. And some other guy. Go," I ordered. Percy took off running and I followed behind him, not so fast. I'd been running all day. I was tired. When I finally got there, all I saw was Luke on the ground, the black-haired guy starting to get up, his hands assuming a fighting pose. I walked through the doors and knocked his feet out from underneath him. Annabeth was glaring at Percy, and that's when I noticed just why Luke was on the floor.

Let's just say his face was more messed up than his one scar.

"You guys, we have to go!" Thalia said to Percy and Annabeth. Annabeth shook her head, but Percy pulled her along. She looked livid.

As we walked towards our cars, Thalia started a quick recap. "Heroic Percy enters, doesn't say a word and decks Luke, right in the jaw. Pretty well placed punch, if you ask me. When Luke tried to fight back, Percy threw like seven more punches, then landed one on his stomach. Therefore, Luke falls to the ground; Annabeth gets pissed, and so does that kid, Ethan." She described the kid whom I had assumed was Percy. Now I heard that he had an eye patch, and I wanted to laugh. I pictured him like a pirate with the jagged scars all over him. "Anyways, after that, Ethan stands, a hot badass comes in and knocks him to the ground, and Annabeth yells at Percy right about now."

I grinned at the fact that she described me as a 'hot badass', but I turned my attention to Percy and Annabeth. As predicted, she started yelling. Percy took it, too, not even trying to defend himself. I decided that I'd take Thalia home so they could work out their problems on their own.

"So, why was Annabeth there?" I asked Thalia.

"Apparently, during school, Luke texted her. I don't know how he got her number, because they haven't seen each other in seven years, according to Annabeth. She said that Luke was like a brother to her, but he obviously didn't think of her as a sister. I mean, he was flirting with her every five seconds. Anyways, they introduced me to everyone. Annabeth asked me why I was there, but I just told her that we came here for food, and you had to go get something from your car. That was the reason that you didn't come in, okay?"

I nodded. "How did he find her? He would've had to be stalking her or something."

"Well, we thought he was stalking me," Thalia reasoned.

"Makes sense then. Anyways, what happened after that?" I asked.

"Well, she pretty much talked to Luke like normal. She didn't respond to any of his flirting, and even brought up Percy once. It really pissed Luke off when she did that, but she didn't seem to notice. Or she was doing it on purpose. Then, ironic as it is, she was mentioning how 'sweet and loyal' Percy is, and in walks Percy, who beats Luke up, showing just how 'sweet and loyal' he is," Thalia said. "And you know the rest."

"Wow," was all I could think to say. So, they were just there as a friendly gathering. But Luke was flirting with her, so he had a right to beat him up. "Wait, why didn't Annabeth answer her phone?" I asked, a little suspicious.

"Dead," Thalia answered. "Yeah. So, the whole, 'Annabeth is missing and Luke, the evil son of a bitch, kidnapped her!' thing was a big misunderstanding."

"Ohhhh," I said.

"Do you think Percy and Annabeth are okay?" Thalia asked, sounding a little concerned.

"Maybe. After Percy explains his side of the story and tells her he loves her, she'll be okay," I assured her. "Now, if it were you and me, we'd probably hate each other for a few days, since we can both hold grudges. Then you'd try to beat me up. And I'd pull the whole kiss-Thalia-then-she'll-forget-she's-mad trick. And you'd tell me that I can't just do that every time you're mad and get away with it. But we'll both know that I _so_can. You'll always have to give in to my gorgeous-ness and badass-ness."

Thalia scoffed. "I don't care how gorgeous and badass you are, I'll still be mad at you! Even after you kiss me. I just won't be as mad," Thalia argued.

I laughed. "What a lie! You would so give in to me! Then we'd watch a Disney movie, and eat food, and go to sleep! You can't resist my charm," I said, winking at her.

"I so can! You were the one who kissed me first with our last bet!" _Crap. I was._

"You almost gave in, though! A few times, actually," I shot back.

"But I didn't cave. You did. So that means you can't resist me," Thalia said, sounding smug.

I wanted to argue, but she was right. I sort of can't resist her. She leaned over and kissed my cheek. Then my neck. _Shit._ I pulled away from her, reluctantly. "Driving! Driving!" I told her. Thalia laughed, and I grabbed her hand. "Stop," I told her.

"I just wanted to prove that you can't resist me. You almost wrecked because you were so distracted!" Thalia said.

"Well, yeah. I'm pretty sure if the most beautiful girl in the world walked up to any guy and started kissing their neck, they'd be pretty distracted too," I told her.

"Thank you," she said.

"For what? Being distracted?" I asked.

"No, for calling me beautiful, dumbass." I couldn't tell if that was sarcasm or not, so I didn't reply. I turned down her road and squeezed her hand.

"Hey, Thalia?" I asked her.

"Yeah?"

"Will you go somewhere with me this Saturday?" I'd been wanting to take her to this one place forever. Bianca used to tell me that the second she was old enough, she'd go. And I knew Thalia would love it. You had to be at least sixteen, and both Thalia and I were of age.

"Where?" Thalia questioned.

"You'll see, if you agree," I said.

"Dr. Seuss," she grumbled. I laughed, noticing that what I'd said did, in fact, rhyme.

"So, will you?" I begged. "Please, please, please, please – "

"Yes!" Thalia said, cutting me off. "I'll go to this mysterious place." I smiled at her as we pulled up in her drive way. I frowned. "Oh, don't get grumpy. I'll see you tomorrow." Thalia leaned over and kissed me. "Bye."

"Bye, love you," I told her. She replied and I waved to her before leaving. I was pretty low on gas, so I stopped to fill up my tank. As soon as I started pumping my gas, I wished I wouldn't of. A nice, polished car pulled up next to me. Preston, my ex-best friend hopped out of the drivers' side. I was hoping and praying he didn't look my way, but the attempts were futile. He looked right at me, and shock crossed his face. I did my best to keep my face void of emotion. Preston waved and I shot him the dirtiest look I could muster, finished putting gas in my tank, and closed my gas tank. I got my receipt, not sparing another glance at Preston. I pulled out of the spot probably a little too fast, but I was mad.

Did he really think that after completely shunning me, he could just wave? No way in hell. On the way home, I started to talk to Bianca, explaining what had just happened. The whole thing with Annabeth, the run-in with Preston. I didn't even imagine her answers in my head. I just wanted her to know.

Soon enough, I pulled up in my apartment's parking lot. It was already about to be five-thirty, so I found me some food as soon as I went inside. We were searching for Annabeth for about an hour, and I was hungry again. I decided on cereal and watched some cartoons on TV. It was around seven o'clock when I decided to go to bed. I felt like I had been stripped of my badass-ness by going to sleep at seven like a grandparent.

I walked into my room and changed into some sweatpants. I fell onto my bed, sighing loudly. This whole day was hectic. I was surprised that no one had caught us for beating the crap out of Luke and Ethan. I was admittedly a little worried about Percy and Annabeth. I was still mad about Preston trying to play the part of Mr. Nice Guy.

I cleared my head and rolled over, allowing my mind to wander, falling asleep.

* * *

_**ANNABETH'S POV**_

_**(Percabeth fight - requested)**_

* * *

"Percy!" I yelled, causing him to stop in his tracks. He looked as though he knew what was coming, so I punched his chest. "What the heck? You couldn't have even asked why he was there? He's like my brother! I don't care if you got jealous! You could have at least asked before you scarred him for life!" I ranted.

Percy didn't break my gaze, knowing I still had more to say. "My phone was dead. I'm sorry, I didn't know it was a crime for a cell phone to freaking die! You didn't have to freak out and punch the life out of Luke! I can't believe I even walked out here with you. I shouldn't have left him." I felt more anger boil up in me. "You know, you practically just killed my brother. _Brother._ B-R-O-T-H-E-R. You're so stupid for getting jealous!" I shouted.

Percy gave me a small smile, which only pissed me off more. "Can you blame me?"

"What the hell does that mean?" I asked, fuming.

He shuffled his feet awkwardly. "I don't know. He looked… confident. Like, a guy that I would look up to. And I saw the way he was smiling at you. I mean, he looked older, probably a thousand times more attractive than me. Probably a thousand times less clumsy and awkward. Trust me, Annabeth. You may think of him as a brother, but he sure as hell doesn't think of you as just a sister."

I blinked. _Percy gets insecure? This is weird._ "What do you mean, 'the way he was looking at me'?"

Percy rolled his eyes, looking off into the distance. "He likes you," Percy muttered.

"How do you know?"

He gave me an obvious look. "Um, I'm a guy. You're telling me that you couldn't tell Thalia was totally head over heels for Nico? I could tell that Nico liked Thals."

"I hate when you're right," I grumbled. Percy smirked at me. I punched him again. "I still can't believe you punched him!" I yelled.

"Oh, you and me both know I looked really hot and heroic when I did," Percy said casually, leaning on his car. I turned my head so he wouldn't see me smile. "Annabeth," Percy said in a singsong voice.

"What?" I asked, trying to sound annoyed.

"Oh, stop the façade," Percy told me, looking me right in the eyes.

I gave him a sarcastic look and clapped my hands. "Percy knows big words!"

He smiled. "The word 'stop' is a pretty big word," Percy told me, sounding accomplished. I stared at him, dumbfounded. Why the _hell_ am I dating someone so clueless? If we're even dating anymore. I'm still slightly pissed about the whole 'killing Luke' thing. I glared at him, and turned my head. "Come on, Wise Girl. We both know you can't stay mad at me forever."

"Yeah, but I can try," I shot back. He pulled me in for a hug and I squirmed, trying to ignore the feel of his toned body against mine. Eventually, I gave up, hugging him back.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, sounding sincere.

"I know," I grumbled, annoyed. He pulled back, just enough to kiss me. I tried to pull away, knowing I'd forgive him the second he kissed me, but it was too late. I smiled as kissed me again softly. "Asshole."

"Beautiful."

"Arrogant jerk."

"Overly smart."

"Too smug."

"Too gorgeous."

"Annoying as hell."

"Best thing that's ever happened to me."

"Too nice."

"Too uptight."

"Clumsy."

"Perfect." I smiled a little.

"Slightly attractive."

"Extremely attractive."

"Terrible mess."

"Beautiful mess."

"Jealous prick."

"Yep," he said, ending the word war we had, and kissing me again. I smiled, again, and he chuckled.

"Forgiven," I sighed, grabbing the keys out of his back pocket and unlocking his car.

"In love," Percy said dreamily. I laughed and rolled my eyes, getting in the car on the drivers' side. It was amazing how fast I could go from despising him to loving him desperately.

* * *

**NICO'S POV**

By the time I got to Thalia's house, she was already outside, waiting on me. I was running a little late this morning, but she didn't seem to notice as she slid into my car. "Percy and Annabeth are fine," she told me.

"Great!" I said whole-heartedly. They were good for each other. Now, when I saw good relationships, I could appreciate them. Especially since I had a good relationship of my own. I leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Ready?"

"No, I'm just seatbelted in for no reason," Thalia said drily. I chuckled and started driving. We didn't talk for a while, and I instantly knew that Thalia didn't have her coffee. She was probably talking to Annabeth. Luckily, I saw a Starbucks. I turned on my blinker and drove around the parking lot into the drive through.

"How'd you know?" she asked, smiling the tiniest bit.

"Because, I know you," I said as though it were obvious. Thalia rolled her eyes. "Black coffee?" I questioned.

"Hell no! If you're going to buy me a Starbucks, I want a white chocolate mocha with extra whip cream!" Thalia said, her expression incredulous. I laughed and placed her order. After we got her coffee and I paid, she unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to me, even though I was still driving. "So, where are we going this Saturday?"

I smiled. "Can't say," I told her, trying to sound apologetic.

"Babe," Thalia said, "really?"

"Yes, babe," I said, winking at her. She rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on. Don't be like that. I know you like surprises."

"So? I still want to know where you're taking me. A hint?" Thalia pleaded.

I sighed. "Hm, what kind?"

"20 Questions?" she asked.

"Five. Five questions," I bargained. She nodded. "Go ahead then."

"Will we be eating?" Thalia questioned.

"Probably," I answered.

"Will we be doing anything other than eating?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Will it require physical action?" Thalia inquired.

I raised an eyebrow and smiled. "If you'd like for it to…"

Thalia blushed as she realized what her question sounded like. "You know what I meant," she told me.

"Yeah, I mean, you'll have to move. You wouldn't want to just stand there," I replied.

"Is it skating?" Thalia asked, her nose wrinkled.

I laughed. "No! No way in hell."

She sighed. "Where is it?"

I tried to think of a cryptic answer, one that wouldn't be obvious. "A place where people age sixteen and up dance, but there's no radio playing."

"What the hell does that mean?" Thalia asked.

"It means that you'll have to find out. And that was your last question," I said. Thalia groaned.

"I got no information!" she complained. I laughed lightly as we pulled into my parking space. After killing the engine, I walked around the car and opened Thalia's door. "You know, I am capable of doing that myself."

"Yeah, I know. But I like looking like I'm the perfect little boyfriend, that way you can yell at me on the outside and swoon on the inside," I explained, kissing her cheek.

She grumbled something that I didn't hear and I grabbed her hand that wasn't gripping her coffee. "Come on," I said, leading her towards the doors.

Once inside, I sat down on the floor in front of my locker. Thalia fell onto my lap, her back against my chest. I settled my chin on her shoulder. Thalia shrugged the shoulder I was laying on, causing my teeth to bite my tongue. "Ow!" I complained.

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger," she said, laughing a little.

"I think biting my tongue makes me more vulnerable. I mean, now, I feel weak because I'm so focused on the pain. I probably wouldn't even notice if someone walked up, wanting to beat the crap out of me," I argued.

"Stop analyzing the cliché, Nico," Thalia said. I kissed her neck and she pulled away. I smiled. "At school!" she whispered.

"Yeah, I was driving and you didn't seem to care," I retorted. Thalia rolled her eyes, and I knew I was right. The bell rang, and she hopped up. I took her empty coffee cup and tossed it in the trashcan, a little bit down from my locker. I walked back and got my English binder and textbook. I held out my hand, but Thalia acted like she didn't see it. "Really?" I asked.

"Yes?" Thalia said, a bit too innocently. I held my hand out again, and she made a face of disgust. "And I would want to hold your hand why?" she said, trying to make her voice sound rude, but I saw the smile in her eyes.

"Because I'm a hot badass. And I'm utterly gorgeous and charming. Not to mention I have good hair," I joked. Thalia's smile broke through and she finally took my hand. We walked to English together, getting a glare from Mrs. Miller as we entered late.

"Try to be on time tomorrow," she said sharply. "Seeing as you two miss so much class already."

We nodded and Thalia gave a very sarcastic, "Yes ma'am." I chuckled a little and Mrs. Miller went on to explain the lesson. I couldn't really understand any of it, thanks to my dyslexia. When she assigned the homework, I groaned mentally. 30 problems of reading? That was going to take me hours!

"Mrs. Jennings and Mr. Di Angelo," Mrs. Miller called.

"Yeah?" I said.

"Yes ma'am," she corrected.

"Yes ma'am?" I replied.

"You both have make-up work. Several worksheets and several homework assignments you have missed. If you expect to pass my class, I would suggest you write them down," Mrs. Miller said, passing us packetfuls of work. Then she handed us another sheet, with a few page numbers and problem numbers on it. "Copy this down," she ordered.

I stared at it as hard as I could, trying to decode it. I sighed in frustration. "Well?" Mrs. Miller asked.

"He can't, Mrs. Miller," Thalia said. I could tell that she was trying to be polite. "He has dyslexia," Thalia whispered.

"Dyslexia!" Mrs. Miller said, loud enough for the whole class to hear. I clenched my fist. I would have punched her if she wasn't female. "Poor Mr. Di Angelo has dyslexia," she taunted.

"So do I!" Thalia snapped. "And it's not something to laugh about. You would understand that if you had it. You wonder why he never turns in his work. It's almost impossible to read."

Mrs. Miller snorted, glaring at Thalia. "Perhaps he should not be taking this language then. I expect the same from all of my students, dyslexia or not." With that, she turned on her heel and walked away. Thalia stood up, but I grabbed her wrist. Her knuckled were white.

"Thalia," I said softly. She sat back down and slammed her binders onto her desk. I put a hand on her knee and she calmed down. I heard someone call us freaks, and Thalia stood up again.

"Look, I know all of you guys don't trust Nico because you think he's some crazed murderer. Well, let me tell you something: it's bullshit. All of it. He loves his sister more than anything, and if any of you bitches would have stayed around and actually comforted him after her passing, you would know that. So, here's a word of advice: don't judge people before you hear the whole truth. And if you absolutely must, keep it to your fucking self!" Thalia snapped. I grabbed her hand and tried to make her sit down, but she pulled away.

Mrs. Miller stood up. "Mrs. Jennings, to the office!"

"No!" Thalia shouted. "Every single person at this school has treated Nico like utter and complete shit when he needed help the most. And it pisses me off! You guys have no clue what kind of hell it is to lose a sibling!" Her voice shook a little on the last sentence. "Even the teachers accused him of being a killer. Not everyone has a picture-fucking-perfect life." And with that, she walked form the room, leaving her stuff.

"Maybe you shouldn't let your girlfriend fight your fights for you, di Angelo," some kid to my left said. I kept quiet, pure anger rushing through my body. I picked up my stuff as well as Thalia's and left the classroom, ignoring Mrs. Miller, who was calling after me. I knew where Thalia would be, so I headed for the auditorium. Her and Mr. Winston had gotten pretty close, due to the fact that she was the most experienced student he taught.

When I entered the auditorium, Mr. Winston pointed to his office. "She's in there," he told me, without missing a beat. I nodded my thanks and walked to his office. Thalia was sitting in his chair, tears of anger running down her face. When she saw me, she gave me a small smile.

"I'm sorry. That was probably a little overboard," she said, laughing a little.

"No, it's okay," I said, putting her stuff down. My anger calmed when she stood up and gave me a hug. I hugged her back. "Thank you," I told her.

"For what? Yelling loudly and embarrassing the crap out of you? No doubt getting us both referrals?" she asked.

"No, for standing up for me," I clarified. "What you said probably should have been said forever ago." She nodded and I sat down in the chair. Thalia sat on my lap.

"I just can't stand the way they treat you," she said, sounding disgusted. I nodded, wrapping my arms around her.

"I know, I hate it, too. However, while we have time, I think we should start on the piles of English work we have due, if we don't get kicked out of her class," I said, trying to distract her from being so upset. Thalia groaned and pulled up a chair to the desk, picking up her binders.

For the remainder of the period, we worked on the make-up work that was due. I had only finished two worksheets by the end of the period, even though I'd had around forty-five minutes. I sighed in defeat, picking up all my papers and binders.

"See you in drama," I said, kissing her lightly before leaving the room. I had a free period, so I decided to go sit in my car and listen to music. I even fell asleep for about ten minutes before the bell woke me up. I stretch and yawned, locking my car and walking back inside. I hurried to the auditorium, anxious to see how Thalia was doing.

Mr. Winston greeted me, handing me a script. "We'll be reading through_Wicked_ today." I nodded and started walking, but Mr. Winston saw me. "Um, Nico? Have you ever heard Thalia sing? I remember at the beginning of the year, she mentioned that she sang and played a little guitar."

I nodded. "Yes sir, I have." I actually had respect for Mr. Winston, so calling him 'sir' didn't bother me. "And she's amazing. I'm sure if you asked her to sing, she'd say no, but I could probably get her to do it."

Mr. Winston looked thoughtful. "Given with her theatre experience, I was thinking of giving her Elphaba Thropp, a main character. I would like for her to sing today, if you could talk her into it."

"Yes sir," I said, saluting him and walking to our usual seats. Thalia was sitting down, flipping through the script. I sat down next to her and she smiled at me.

"I love this play," she said.

"I know," I told her. She never let me forget just how much she loved this play. "Hey, since you love it so much, why don't you audition?" I suggested casually.

Thalia shrugged. "I don't think I'd be any good at it."

"It's worth a try," I said, nudging her. "Come on, babe."

"Ugh, you had to call me 'babe' didn't you?" Thalia asked, sounding a little defeated. I smiled.

"Please? For me?" Thalia looked up at me and I met her eyes. She pushed my head away.

"Stop making me get lost in your eyes," she muttered.

"Not my fault," I said, winking at her. "Please?"

"Fine, okay!" Thalia said, just as Mr. Winston stood on the stage.

"Morning!" he said brightly. We chorused our hello. "Well, today, we will be having in class tryouts. I allow my drama classes to try out first, then I open auditions to the school. Is there anybody interested?" Mr. Winston asked.

A few kids raised their hands, and Mr. Winston jotted their names down. He gave me a meaningful look and I nodded. He turned to Thalia. "How 'bout it, Mrs. Jennings? I hear you have a wonderful voice," Mr. Winston said.

"Nico!" Thalia protested. I winked at her. "Yes sir," Thalia grumbled.

"Great!" Mr. Winston exclaimed. "We'll start off with Thalia, then."

"What? Why?" she argued.

"Because. I would love to hear you sing," he replied.

"God, he sounds like you," Thalia said to me. I laughed and squeezed her hand for a second.

"Which song would you prefer to sing?" Mr. Winston questioned.

Thalia thought for a second. "Defying Gravity, please." He handed her a script, but she passed it back, a little sheepishly. "I, um, don't think I need it." Mr. Winston beamed at her, and we gave Thalia a round of applause as she took the stage.

"I'll be playing the _Glee _instrumental version. It starts from 'something has changed'. You may sing both parts if you wish," Mr. Winston told her. She nodded and he started the instrumental version. Thalia looked a bit nervous and glanced at me. I winked at her and she blushed. I smiled, hopefully encouragingly.

"Something has changed within me, something is not the same. I'm through with playing by the rules of someone else's game. Too late for second-guessing. Too late to go back to sleep. It's time to trust my instincts close my eyes: and leap! It's time to try defying gravity. I think I'll try defying gravity. And you can't pull me down."

Her voice started out a little shaky, but as Thalia went on, she gained confidence, her voice becoming strong and smooth as silk. She began moving around on the stage, rather than simply standing, putting on quite a show.

"I'm through accepting limits, 'cause someone says they're so. Some things I cannot change, but till I try, I'll never know! Too long I've been afraid of losing love I guess I've lost. Well, if that's love, it comes at much too high a cost! I'd sooner buy, defying gravity. Kiss me goodbye, I'm defying gravity. And you can't pull me down," she sang, beautifully. I was beaming at her. You could tell that the stage was truly her home.

Before Thalia could start on the next part, Mr. Winston cut off the music. The room was heavy with silence and Thalia stood there a little awkwardly. Mr. Winston stared at her, looking stunned.

He turned to the class. "Any objection to the fact that we've just found our Elphaba?" Everyone in our drama class burst into cheering, and Thalia bowed, smiling huge. Mr. Winston turned back to Thalia. "My, Ms. Jennings. You've been holding out on me. I wish you would have said earlier that your voice was absolutely amazing."

Thalia smiled at me. "Well, I didn't know I was any good. I'd only had one person compliment me on my voice." I grinned at that.

"In my opinion, you should be famous, not a high school," Mr. Winston said. Thalia nodded her thanks and got off the stage, coming over to me and punching me in the shoulder.

"Asshole," she muttered.

I scoffed. "Because I made you show that you had amazing talent?"

"No, for making me blush when you winked," Thalia clarified. Then she kissed my cheek. "That's for forcing me to go on stage. I've missed performing, I'll admit. I smiled at her as the next person got on stage to audition, glad that I could make her happy.

;;;


	19. Chapter XVIII - Thalia

_Summary: Thalia's mother doesn't exactly care and Nico isn't exactly okay. When Thalia moves to San Francisco, she gets new friends, a loving family, and, who knows? She might even fall in love if she's lucky. Two darkened pasts; can they find solace in one another?_

Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or characters I adopt from those books. Merely the characterization and plot are mine.

Chapter XVIII; Thalia

;;;

Once I got home, I ran into the kitchen, hoping Mrs. Christine was there. I was excited to share the news about getting a role in the play. Even better, it was the role of Elphaba, the wicked witch of the west. I was bouncing on the heels of my feet.

"Mrs. Christine!" I called. She wasn't in the kitchen, so she had to be in the garden. I walked outside, still calling her name.

"Yes, Thalia?" I heard her say. I rounded the corner, and she was sitting in the flowerbeds, planting some blue flowers. She smiled at me.

"Hi! So guess what?" I said. Without waiting for her to answer, I went on. "Well, today in drama class, we had tryouts for the play. You know it was_Wicked_, right? Anyways, so Nico went and told Mr. Winston that I could sing and he made me sing on the stage for auditions and I did awesome and I got the part of Elphaba and I'm so excited!" I exclaimed, all in one breath. I should get an award for the longest run on sentence ever.

"That's great! Congratulations! I can't wait to see the finished product when it's presented to the community," Mrs. Christine said, standing up and giving me a hug. "Now, how about dinner?"

I stayed up pretty much all night, talking Annabeth's ears off. "I got the part of Elphaba! By the way, where were you today?" I asked her, remembering that she wasn't in drama.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "They made me show around this new kid. He was a scared little freshman. Seriously, he cowered away every single time I looked at him. It was truly annoying," she said.

I smiled apologetically. "Yeah, that must suck. But that's what you get for being the perfect student. You always have to be the example. Show around the newbies. Show 'em the ropes," I said.

She threw a pillow at me. "I'm not a perfect student! I have a 99 in English," Annabeth confessed. I rolled my eyes.

"Girl, please. I have a 72 in that class. And you're in honors, too," I argued. Annabeth shrugged. "So… Are you going to tryout or what?"

Annabeth blinked. "For what?"

I gave her a look. "The ice-skating team."

She frowned. "I didn't know we had one of those."

"Oh my god," I groaned. "Percy is rubbing off on you. You're getting stupider every second."

"Stupider's not a word," she corrected. "But seriously, tryouts for what?"

"The play!" I said, throwing a pillow at her. She caught it a raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not a good actress," Annabeth said.

"You'll learn."

"Can't sing."

"That's what you think," I replied.

"I really can't though," Annabeth told me, looking a little intimidated at the thought of singing anywhere but in the shower. I laughed.

"Annabeth Chase is scared? Gasp!" I said dramatically.

"I'm so not scared!" Annabeth defended.

"Prove it," I challenged.

"Fine, I'm trying out tomorrow," she said, smirking at me. "Promise."

I smiled. "Great!" She frowned at me. "Yeah. That's right. I tricked you. You can't ever turn down a challenge. And you promised, so you have to!"

Annabeth sighed in defeat. "Changing the subject now. How's… Nico?" she decided.

I shrugged. "Amazing, as always. We're going somewhere this Saturday, but he won't tell me where. And I even questioned him about it, but it made no sense."

"What'd he say?" Annabeth asked, looking interested.

"That it's a place where people age sixteen and up dance, but there's no radio playing," I recited, though it sounded more like a question.

Annabeth scowled. "Google it," she offered. I did. The number one result was something about a radio station. I sighed, shaking my head. "Well, I guess you'll just have to wait until Saturday."

"Unless I can get him to say it before then," I said. Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "I have my ways."

She laughed and started flipping through a random book off of her dresser. "How's Percy?" I asked her, raising my eyebrows.

"Stupid. Annoying." I smiled. "Insufferable," she finished.

"But?" I prompted. "You still love him," I said for her. She shrugged. "Oh, come on, Annie! Even I knew you loved him when I'd only known you for ten minutes!"

"Oh, and like you didn't want to maul Nico in the parking lot where you first saw him!" she retorted. I stayed quiet for a second, thinking of something good to say.

"I got nothing," I admitted. Annabeth smirked, glancing over at the clock.

"Oh, jeez, Thalia! We need to go to sleep! It's 2:45 in the morning!" she whisper-yelled. I yawned, just thinking about sleep.

"Okay," I said, not realizing how tired I was until she said something. I got underneath my blankets, and she climbed up to the top bunk. "Night."

"Night," she said, already sounding asleep. I buried my face into my pillow, my mind wandering to random subjects as I fell asleep.

By the time Nico and I got to school the next day, everyone was already in class. He was driving like a grandma just to get on my nerves. I slammed his door on purpose.

"Hey, whoa! If you're mad at me, then be mad at me, but don't hurt my baby," Nico said, pouting.

I rolled my eyes and continued walking, not even waiting for him. I heard footsteps behind me and Nico intertwined his fingers with mine. "I like your shirt," Nico told me. I looked down at my solid black t-shirt and raised an eyebrow.

"Really now?" I asked sarcastically.

"No, seriously. I think I have one like it actually," he said, looking completely serious. I smiled and looked ahead. "Do we have to go here? I'm afraid everyone's going to rude towards us."

I nodded in agreement. "Probably. And I didn't do any of the make-up work."

Nico laughed. "Me neither, as always." By now, we were right in front of Mrs. Miller's classroom. I sighed. Nico leaned down and kissed my forehead. "Hey, come on. Just ignore them if they say anything, okay?" I nodded and squeezed his hand.

We entered the classroom together, and Mrs. Miller practically jumped over her desk. "PDA! That's PDA!" she shouted.

I frowned. "He's holding my hand. It's not like we're having sex," I said, forgetting to filter my words.

"Inappropriate language! What else can I add to your referral, Ms. Jennings?" Mrs. Milled asked with a smirk.

"You can put that I told you to take that referral and shove it up your – " I started. Nico clapped a hand over my mouth, muffling the last word.

"One moment," Nico said, dragging me out of the classroom and ignoring the glare from Mrs. Miller. As soon as we were out the door, he took off running. I smiled, jogging after him. He stopped when we were out at the track, which was hardly ever used. "Sorry," he said, panting. "I just really didn't want to stay in there. Plus, she probably would have had you expelled for not only having hand-sex with me – " I snorted in laughter. " – but for using more inappropriate language."

"Gee, thanks for saving me," I said, starting to walk around the track. Nico grabbed my hand.

"As your knight in shining armor, it's the least I could do," Nico said, inheriting a medieval accent.

"More like a badass in a leather jacket," I said, smiling.

"A hot badass from what I hear," Nico commented.

I faked confusion. "Who said that?"

"This really, really, really, gorgeous girl. She sings like an angel, and has amazing blue eyes. She's been my best friend for a while now, and I've loved her since the very first day." I smiled. He started laughing.

"What?" I asked.

"Remember when you got smacked in the face with a pinecone? On your first day," Nico said, still laughing. I rolled my eyes and punched his arm. He pushed me back. I raised an eyebrow and threw another punch. Nico pushed me so that I fell onto the grass, him landing gracefully next to me. He turned to look at me. "Hey."

"Yeah, hi!" I said, annoyed. Nico pulled my closer to him and I settled into him. We looked up at the clouds for a few moments, then I began the interrogation. "Where're we going Saturday?" I asked.

"Oh, we're going to a – whoa! I'm so not telling you," Nico said, going from relaxed to tense in a moment. I laughed.

"Please?" I begged. Nico shook his head and sat up, leaning back on his hands. I sat in his lap. "Babe!" I said, dragging out the word, knowing he'd laugh.

Nico tried to hold in his laugh, so it came out as a snort. I chuckled. "No! It won't work, Thalia! You'll have to wait. If I end up telling you early, I won't take you, swear."

I sighed in defeat and sat beside him. "Nico, do you ever have dreams about me?"

He raised an eyebrow and blushed. "Um, no."

"Dude! I call bullshit! Why are you blushing? Did we have sex? Was it awesome?" I fired off questions, Nico's blush deepening.

"Thalia, stop," Nico groaned, annoyed. I laughed.

"Fine, no sex dream talk. Anything else?" I asked, smiling.

"Promise not to make fun of me?" he asked, looking a little nervous.

"Promise," I told him.

"Okay, so remember the day we first met?"

"No. Not at all," I said sarcastically.

Nico ignored my comment. "So, anyways, that night, I dreamed about you. Like on the first day we met," he confessed.

"Creeper!" I accused, smiling. He looked away. "Tell me about the dream."

"You were… sitting on the floor. Your hair was messy, but really pretty. I remember you were wearing a Linkin Park tour shirt. And you were playing a blue guitar. Remember when I asked you if you had one?" I nodded. "It was because of the dream. And I was really freaked out when it was true. Bianca was there, talking about how pretty you were. She said me and you would be great friends."

I stayed quiet for a second, taking that in. "The guitar thing is creepy," I admitted. "But the thing about Bianca is sweet. Have I ever told you that I miss her, and I didn't even know her?" I asked again.

Nico smiled. "You said that on our double date." I nodded. He stood up. "I hate to ruin our beautiful moment, but we should head back. Your next class starts in – " The bell rang. " – Now." He held out a hand and helped me up. We jogged back to school. I didn't even grab my math binder, due to the lack of time, but Nico said he'd get it for me. I thanked him and hurried off to class.

Piper greeted me as soon as I entered. I took my seat behind her. "Jason says hi," she told me.

"Hi, Jason," I said, making her laugh. "How are you guys?"

Piper smiled. "Great. We fight sometimes, but that's what makes good relationships." Piper bounced up and down in her seat. "He told me he loved me yesterday!"

I grinned. "No way!" I said, sounding like a girly girl. She nodded enthusiastically.

"The way he said it was so lame, though. He was heading out the door, and he just casually threw it over his shoulder. I just sorta stood there, a little confused, but he ran back a few seconds later and kissed me, saying it again so I knew he meant it." I laughed at my brother's carelessness just as the tardy bell rang. Mr. Johnson rushed in the door.

"Thalia Grace, I was told to give you this," Mr. Johnson said, handing me my black binder. I nodded my thanks and he passed out a worksheet. "Just do one through ten. I don't feel like grading anything big." The class cheered and Mr. Johnson fell into his chair, looking like he was a bit hungover.

Piper turned around. "How'd Nico tell you he loved you?" she asked, propping her hand up on her desk.

"Well, that week at the hospital, I said it first while he was still in his coma-thing. Then when he woke up, he kissed me and said it back. He couldn't remember much, but he said that he specifically remembered me telling him that I loved him," I told her, smiling from the memory. Piper sighed contently.

"I love love," she said, frowning a little at her own words. I laughed and started on the simple worksheet. After I was finished, I put it in the basket and waited for the bell to ring, Piper chattering about random things. Occasionally, I'd nod, but I was zoning out. She didn't seem to mind.

Finally, the gracious bell rang, allowing me to go to drama. I threw my stuff in my locker, ready to see Annabeth's tryout. As soon as I walked through the auditorium doors, everyone stopped talking. "What?" I asked, annoyed.

"Uh, babe?" Nico called.

"Yes?"

"We need to talk to you," he said, sounding a little upset.

"Okay," I said cautiously. I walked to them, only to see Mrs. Debbie from the front office in the middle of the crowd. Nico grabbed my hand and I looked to the exhausting woman. "What's up?"

"Mr. Winston resigned. He didn't even give two weeks notice. Most of his family lives on the east coast, so I believe there are some family matters he must tend to," Mrs. Debbie said, sounding a little sad.

"But…What about the play?" I asked, feeling a little crushed. I'd been so hyped up for this, and now it was being taken away.

"It'll have to be cancelled," Mrs. Debbie said. I sighed, fearing that'd be the answer.

"Wait," Nico said.

"Yes?" I asked.

"What if we just elect a new director. I know we'll have a sub in here until someone certified to teach drama is found, but we can still put on a play," he offered. I smiled.

"Who though?" Percy said.

"Nico," Annabeth said. "Obviously, it was his idea. And he's the one who got our Elphaba to try out. Objections?" Annabeth asked, glancing around the room. No one raised their hand. "Great. I say Silena should be the make-up artist and costume designer." Everyone nodded or put in their agreement.

"Who's the choreographer?" I asked.

"I take dance classes. My sister plans on going pro, I'm sure she'd be happy to help," said a girl from the back.

"So that's taken care of. What else do we need, Thalia, oh holy theatre guru," Annabeth said sarcastically, I rolled my eyes but smiled.

"We need a stage manager," I said. "Basically just makes sure things are going good. Organizing things, hold things together."

"I got that," Annabeth said. "Anything else?"

"We need to open try-outs to the school, and get a good-sized ensemble," I told her. Annabeth got out a piece of paper and started writing things down. "Painters, artists, sculptors from within the school to help with props and set," I listed. "We'll need people to control the lights, people to do the music. Nico, you'll help with that, but it'll be nice to have assistants." He nodded, smiling a little.

"Wait, who's going to help decide who gets what part?" Percy asked.

"Casting director… I say we make it Nico, Annabeth, and whoever our choreographer is," I decided.

"Her name is Namid!" the girl from earlier called out.

"Great. So, Nico, Annabeth, and Namid. You'll be the judges. But don't judge on how you know them in school. Don't judge by social status or anything. Everyone's a different person on that stage," I said, gesturing to the stage before us. They all nodded solemnly. "Who's going to advertise for us?" I asked.

"I have a friend who's really great at graphic design. He can make us some posters, even get it to be said on the morning announcements," a guy offered.

"Name?" Annabeth asked.

"Uh, Tony?"

"Not your name! Your friend's name," she clarified.

"Oh, Colton. I'll talk to him today," Tony promised. Annabeth continued scribbling things down.

"Well, you will need a supervisor," Mrs. Debbie mumbled. I blinked. I had forgotten she was even here.

"Mrs. Debbie," Annabeth said with a winning smile. "Would you please be our supervisor?" she asked.

Mrs. Debbie clapped her hands. "Yay! And of course, my dears! This is going to… Rock! Yeah, rock!" We all laughed and I hugged Nico.

"Thank you," I told him. "It was all your idea." He nodded and put his chin on my head. We all talked for the rest of the period, discussing ideas and setting up practice dates.

That day, I went home with Nico. I didn't feel like going home, and I really felt like lying on his bed. He had the softest bed in the history of soft beds. The second he opened the door for me, I sprinted to his room and fell on the bed, sighing happily. Nico entered the room after me and proceeded to change his clothes. I blushed and looked away.

"How is it from the receiving end? As awkward as it was for me?" Nico asked, smiling. I rolled my eyes, and he walked over to me, still shirtless. He stood so that his abs were directly in front of my face.

I pushed him away. "At least I put a shirt back on," I reminded him.

"Oh, like you want me to," Nico teased. I didn't deny it. I'd be a liar if I did. I changed my clothes and turned around to see Nico blushing again.

"God, Nico. You're going to have to get used to it eventually," I said, laughing a little. Nico simply held out his arms. I snuggled up against him.

"Have I ever told you that I love you?" Nico asked softly. I rolled my eyes.

"You never let me forget," I grumbled.

"You say it like it's a bad thing…" Nico said.

"Who says it isn't?" I asked. He chuckled and kissed me.

"Is it a bad thing?" he questioned, smiling.

"Uh…no." I pulled him back in and he laughed into the kiss. He rested his forehead on mine. "You know, it's really hard to pull you closer since you aren't wearing a shirt for me to grab," I told him.

He sighed dramatically. "Guess I'll have to do all the work," Nico said with a smile. He leaned down and kissed me again, only to be interrupted by a knock at the door. Nico ignored it a kept kissing me. I laughed and pushed him away.

"Come on," I said, pulling him with me. He frowned, and I chuckled. I opened the door, only to reveal Percy and Annabeth. I raised an eyebrow and took in their pillows and blankets. Annabeth held up a grocery bag.

"I brought popcorn and snacks?" Nico let her in right away. I laughed and helped them with the blankets.

"So, what's up?" I asked.

"Well, Mrs. Christine and Dad took the twins on a surprise trip to an amusement park. They're staying overnight there, and I didn't want to be alone. I called Percy, and he said we should come here. I told him we should call before, but he said that if we came without notice, you couldn't tell us no," Annabeth explained. Percy smiled triumphantly.

"I was right," Percy announced. Annabeth rolled her eyes and we all went to the kitchen to start preparing our junk food. After we were done, we brought everything into the living room and started lounging. Percy turned on the TV to some random channel, but we just talked.

"So, Nico. I hear you're taking Thalia somewhere. Care to tell?" Annabeth asked with a smile.

Nico grinned. "No can do. It's a surprise," he said. I groaned.

"Nico!" I complained. He kissed my nose.

"Sorry, babe," he said apologetically. I knew it was fake remorse because he was smiling as though he were enjoying this.

"If you loved me, you'd tell me," I challenged.

"Oh, do not pull that card. It'll make me feel guilty. And you know I love you. So stop," Nico said.

I opened my mouth to argue, but Annabeth cut me off. "I think the mystery is a good element. I'm sure Thalia will love wherever you take her," she said. I looked at her like she was crazy.

"Gosh, everyone go to Nico's side," I grumbled. He laughed and kissed my temple after putting his arm around me.

"You'll love it. I promise," Nico said.

;;;


	20. Chapter XIX - Nico

_Summary: Thalia's mother doesn't exactly care and Nico isn't exactly okay. When Thalia moves to San Francisco, she gets new friends, a loving family, and, who knows? She might even fall in love if she's lucky. Two darkened pasts; can they find solace in one another?_

Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or characters I adopt from those books. Merely the characterization and plot are mine.

Chapter XIX; Nico

;;;

Finally, Saturday came around. Thalia woke me up by jumping on my bed and yelling about how I had to get up now or she'd kill me. I groaned. "Thalia!" I complained, glancing at my alarm clock. My eyes widened. "9:30 in the morning on a Saturday? Are you crazy?" I asked her.

She sighed and laid down next to me. "No! I'm anxious! Where're you taking me?" Thalia asked.

"I can't tell you," I told her, closing my eyes again. She slapped my face softly.

"No sir. Get up. Hit the showers," Thalia commanded. I groaned and she kissed my cheek. "I'll make you breakfast."

I sighed and kissed her on the forehead. "Morning, babe. I'd love some breakfast," I said, a little grumpily. She laughed and helped me up. I stumbled to the shower. Within a few minutes, I entered the kitchen, shirtless. Much to my pleasure, Thalia glanced at me and blushed a little. "You've seen me shirtless so many times. You should be used to it by now," I said, pulling on her hair a little.

Thalia smacked my hand away. "Your sexiness never fails to surprise me," she said sarcastically. I smiled and kissed her softly before getting a glass of orange juice.

"Want some?" I asked her. After realizing that my question could be taken wrong, I amended. "Would you like some orange juice?"

"Those are two completely different questions," Thalia said, smirking at me. She flipped a pancake as I blushed. "Yes. I would like some. Of the orange juice. Yeah." I laughed and poured her a glass. I handed it to her and she downed it in a few seconds, making a satisfied noise afterwards. "Thank you," she told me, passing me the glass. I put it in the sink and drank my orange juice slowly.

"Where are we going?" Thalia asked again.

I chuckled and shook my head. "No," I told her. "You'll find out tonight."

"How late? Like five? Ten? Midnight?" she questioned.

I considered the question. "Six or seven-ish. We'll leave around six, though," I said.

"Why?" Thalia pleaded. "Just tell me!"

"Because we're going somewhere. That's all I'm telling you. No more questions relating to where we're going," I said firmly. Thalia sighed loudly and I rubbed her back. "You'll live."

"I hate you," she grumbled.

"I love you, too," I told her, not phased at all. I kissed her cheek and she handed me a plate of pancakes. I gave her my thanks and we sat at the table. She poured herself a cup of coffee and ate off my plate. I didn't mind. "So…" Thalia started.

"Don't ask," I told her.

"I wasn't!"

"Yes, you were!"

"No, actually, I wasn't!"

"Whatever."

"Yeah, whatever."

"I love you."

"Feelings not returned."

"I'll take that as a very heartfelt, 'Nico, I love you, too'," I said, smiling at her. She tried to hide it, but I saw her smile a little.

"Remember when we first met?" Thalia asked randomly. I ate my last bite and nodded. She laughed. "You were so nervous. And you stared at me for practically a full minute until you introduced yourself."

I blushed. "You were pretty," I admitted, shrugging.

Thalia smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Were?"

"_Are_," I corrected. "You are pretty. Beautiful, gorgeous, etc." She smiled at me. "And I watched you check me out."

Thalia laughed. "Guilty. You looked all dark and mysterious. Couldn't resist," she admitted. I smiled.

"You know, you were the first person to make me laugh in years," I told her honestly. I remembered thinking hearing the sound of my own laugh was weird.

Thalia frowned. "That whole situation still pisses me off. I can't believe everyone just ditched you!" Thalia said, looking upset. I shrugged. Thalia's phone started ringing and she sighed, searching for it in her bag. Then her expression went from shock, to anger, to confusion. Finally, she answered.

"Mom?"

* * *

THALIA'S POV

"Mom?" I answered, glancing at Nico. He looked as confused as I was. I put her on speaker phone.

"Hey, sweetie!" my mom replied. I could hear weariness in her voice.

I sighed. "Mom, what's wrong?"

"Nice to hear from you, too," she muttered. "I have a problem."

"Yes?" I asked, a little impatient.

"You see, sweetie, Mommy's bank account is empty. All of my credit cards are maxed out. I don't know what happened," Mom said remorsefully. I raised an eyebrow.

"And you called me why?" I asked, a little rudely. I was still upset from the dinner night. "What made you think that I could help?"

I heard my mother sigh. "I… I didn't have anyone else, Thalia," she said pitifully.

"What happened to all of your friends? What happened to all your guys that you had wrapped around your finger?" I asked.

"None of them wanted to help," Mom said. I wanted to say something nice. I wanted to give her my sympathy. But I couldn't. Not after all the shit she put me through. Even if she did it because she loved me, she's the one who got herself in the mess in the first place.

"I really can't blame them. Bye, Mom," I said, ending the call. I felt like I was being harsh, but I was mad. What made her think that I had the money to bail her out? I mean, yeah, I had that credit card, but with all the debt my mother seems to be in, any attempt would be futile. "Did I handle that badly?" I asked Nico.

He shook his head. "Maybe a little harshly, but you made the right decision," Nico said honestly. I nodded and he picked me up out of the chair, carrying me bridal style into the living room. He fell onto the couch and laid down. I settled in next to him. He radiated warmth, and I smiled against his chest. He played absently with my hair as he turned on the TV. A random movie was playing, and I sighed.

"Are you alright?" he asked me.

"Just tired," I said, using the one lie that every girl uses when a guy asks her if she's okay.

"Ha-ha. Really, are you okay?" Nico asked again.

I shrugged. "I don't know. I just sorta feel bad about the way I was toward her. And you won't tell me where the hell you're taking me," I said.

Nico nodded and smiled. "Ah, I see the suspense is just killing you," Nico said, changing the channel. He passed by the news channel and I saw my mother's face.

"Back!" I commanded. He jumped a little and did so. I sat up straight and turned towards the TV.

"… it seems Jasmine Grace has a bit of a problem. Sources say that her bank account is vacant. Has the star reached her limit? More tonight at 6…"

I gaped at the screen. It's already on the news? Nico grabbed my hand for support. I was embarrassed. That's my mother, on the news, being viewed by thousands because she's poor. I dropped my face into my free hand. "Oh, my god," I muttered. Nico rubbed my back and I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Hey, come on. Let's go somewhere," Nico said softly, helping me up. I nodded, ready for anything to distract me. Instead of heading to his car, he helped me up more stairs, which lead to more apartments. Eventually, we ended up on the roof. I turned around. The view was gorgeous. Nico made himself at home and laid flat on his back, staring up at the sky.

"How often do you come up here?" I asked, amazed. He stretched his arms out and I lay down next to him, resting my head on one of his outstretched arms.

"Not as much as I used to. Sometimes, when I couldn't sleep, I'd come up here and look at the stars. Bianca used to love the stars," he said, barely above a whisper. I reached over and touched his face. He turned towards me.

"Thank you for showing me this," I told him. He nodded and smiled a little, leaning over and kissing me. I closed my eyes, and we remained nose to nose, enjoying the sounds of the city.

Sometimes, Nico and I didn't even have to talk. I could tell just by the fact that he was lying with me that he loved me just as much as I loved him. At that moment, something clicked. I knew that I was too far gone. Even if I wanted to, I'd never be able to leave him. I kissed him again and he smiled at me. "Let's go for a walk," I said.

Nico helped me up and held my hand as we back tracked to his apartment. He went in and grabbed his wallet and a shirt. Nico pulled the shirt over his head and intertwined our fingers once again. We reached the sidewalk and blended in with the crowd, looking like a normal couple on the outside. On the inside, you'd understand how much crap we've been through both individually and together.

We passed a Starbucks and Nico pulled me inside. I ordered a white chocolate mocha, and Nico got a hot chocolate. I laughed for a second until he glared at me. I instantly fixed my facial expression. He looked serious as hell about his hot chocolate. We sat at a table off in the corner, not really talking about anything important. Just rambling on and on to different topics.

"Nico!" I heard someone yell. I raised an eyebrow, looking from Nico's paled face to the girl waving. I recognized her from the pictures.

"Oh, that's the bitch that was kissing your cheek!" I said in recognition. Nico smiled at me for a second, probably thinking my bluntness was funny. He gave her a curt nod that clearly said, 'Hello. Don't come close because I really do not want to talk to you'.

She ignored it and pranced on over to us. "Nico! It's Rachel! Remember me?" she asked, smiling at him. I raised an eyebrow at her. _Am I invisible?_Rachel looked at me for a second, and then turned back to Nico. "You look great!"

Nico took that moment to laugh. "My god. You're really trying to be my friend. Wow." I smiled and turned to Rachel. Her facial expression was hurt.

I stood up, 'accidently' bumping her 'gently' with my elbow. "Come on, Nico," I said, grabbing my coffee. He stood up, smiling at me.

"Sure thing, babe," Nico said, stressing the last word. Rachel looked at us, shocked and I gave her a fake smile.

"Rachel! It was so great to meet you! You're so great! I hope I see you again!" I called, sounding like I was gushing. Me and Nico exited the shop and started laughing.

"You're a great actress," Nico said, smiling at me. "God, I really love you."

I grinned at him and stood on my tiptoes, placing a light kiss on his lips. "Gotta show the bitch that she's… well – a bitch," I said. Nico laughed and grabbed my hand.

"It's already noon. So, we only have six more hours to kill…" Nico said, trailing off. I bounced up and down, excited. He chuckled. We walked up and down streets window shopping, talking and just being normal. When we passed and electronics store, they were playing The Lizzie McGuire Movie.

"Oh my god! Nico, this used to be my favorite movie!" I told him, pulling him inside the store. He groaned and I laughed, singing along with the opening credits. People looked at me like I was crazy, but I was having fun. "I can't believe I still know every word to that song," I said, bewildered. "I watched it when I was around seven or eight."

Nico went to respond, but I pushed him out of the store. There was a lady glaring at us who worked there. "Where are we going?" he asked me. I shrugged.

"The saleslady was giving me the evil eye," I explained. "Let's go home? It's two-thirty."

"Great idea." We walked home hand in hand, me still begging him to tell me where we're going. "No," he repeated over and over.

"Nico! At least tell me how I should dress. Casual? Cool? Dressy? Slutty?" I asked. He raised an eyebrow at my last suggestion.

"Slutty?" Nico questioned.

"Shorts that barely cover my ass, fishnets, cut-off t-shirt. Or I could just wear a short, tight black skirt and something low cut – " I started.

"I really don't need guys looking at you more than they already do. Too much competition," Nico said, smirking at me. I laughed as he unlocked his apartment. I waltzed in and fell on the couch.

"We need something to do," I stated. Nico nodded in agreement. "Let's play only the truth part of truth or dare. I ask you a question, and no matter what, you have to tell the truth. Okay? Same for me when you ask questions."

Nico looked a little uncomfortable, but agreed and told me to go first. I cleared my throat. "What's your favorite song?"

"Anything that you sing," he said without hesitation. I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Fine. For a long time, my favorite song was Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day."

"Why?" I asked him.

"Because. It reminded me of myself. I really did walk alone, honestly. No one out there knew or even cared if I was alive. Plus, it's Green Day. Duh," Nico explained. I felt a pang of sadness for him, how messed up his life has been. I wanted to apologize, but I knew he didn't want my pity. "My turn. Which shows have you been in? I mean, you said you had theatre experience."

"Yeah. I swear, my last name was golden. All I had to do was say that my mother was Jasmine Grace, and they didn't even make me try out. I did anyways though, just to make it fair, but they always put me in. I acted in Oklahoma!, and boy was that an experience. I'll never do that again. I was ensemble in Wicked once or twice. Oh, Cats… I loved Cats. Oh, and of course Grease. I love the songs in that one. We Go Together was always my favorite…" I looked at Nico, who was staring at me. "Those are all the major ones. I did a few small shows, but they never made it big."

He nodded. "I'm surprised you aren't famous," Nico told me.

"I'm glad I'm not. I probably would have never met you," I said with a smile. He returned it. "What used to be your favorite color? Obviously it's black now."

"Actually, my favorite color now is blue. But only Thalia Blue. And black, too," Nico corrected.

"Thalia Blue?" I asked.

"Like your eyes," he said simply. "My favorite color used to be orange. God, that color is gross." I laughed and smiled. I liked that he made up a new color for me. "Hm… First kiss?"

"A badass named Bobby," I said truthfully. I only dated him in spite of my mother, since she wanted me to date one of her friends' son. He was practically plastic.

Nico burst out laughing. "I don't think a guy named Bobby can be badass," he said.

I frowned. "Okay, I was like, ten. He was badass to me. Plus, he was thirteen," I said, raising my eyebrows.

"Ohhh, an actual teenager. Nice," Nico teased. I rolled my eyes and laughed.

"First love?" I asked.

Nico looked at me like I was stupid. "Seriously?" He kissed me. "Duh." I smiled. Nico asked me a few more questions, all of them I answered truthfully.

"Where are you taking me tonight?" I asked finally.

"And that concludes our game!" Nico announced. "Let's watch a movie and get some food. I'm starving." I sighed heavily and he smirked. "Don't stress out over it." I followed him into the kitchen and ate some leftover spaghetti. Nico just got a plateful of junk food. We settled down on the couch and I searched Netflix for a movie. I finally decided on the Lion King. Disney movies never get old.

I laid my head on his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around me, playing with my hair. "You know what annoys me?" Nico asked. I looked up at him. "How they're putting movies back in theatre that were there years ago, except they're just in 3-D. That's such a scam. It may look a little cooler, but it's still the same story you can watch on TV any time, but instead you're taking the whole family to the theatre and paying ridiculous amounts of money," Nico ranted.

"I agree. The movies are fine the way they are. They really don't need to make them 3-D. I just can't believe people fall for that," I added. We continued watching the movie for a while. I was super comfortable when Nico stood up really quick.

"Wow, it's already 5:45," he said. I bounced up and down. "What you're wearing is fine. It's a pretty casual place," Nico told me. I sighed in relief. Dressing up was not my thing. "Are you okay to go ahead and leave?"

I nodded excitedly, jumping up. "Let's go," I told him, pulling on my converse. He laughed a little and handed me my jacket. I threw it on and opened the door, pulling on his hand.

"Hold on!" Nico told me, smiling. He locked the door and I started speed walking to his car. "Nope," he said, pulling me to the sidewalk. "We're walking."

"It's that close?" I asked, glancing around. Nico didn't answer. "Nico!"

"Just wait!" he told me, squeezing my hand. We started walking and rounded a corner. Nico told me to close my eyes and I did so reluctantly. He kept a tight hold on my hand. "Stairs," he warned. I walked up them carefully, and I heard music, laughing, and cheering. "Open your eyes," he whispered. I did so, and I beamed, jumping up and down. Open mic at a coffee shop. I looked around and I saw families, people of all ages.

I hugged him really tight. "There are so many people, though," I said.

He shrugged. "You'll still be awesome. You said you missed performing, here's your chance," Nico told me. I kissed him, pouring everything I felt for him into it. He looked a little dazed afterwards and I smiled, pulling him to a seat. A teenager got up on stage, guitar in hand. He announced himself as Marco, and apparently he was going to play an original song. Marco had a pretty good voice, a nice range. There was a small dance floor, and because it was a slow song, a few couples were dancing. After he was done, there was a round of applause and a few whistles.

A girl who worked at this coffee shop stood up on the stage. "Well, we don't have anyone else scheduled, so anyone is free to come on up!" she said brightly. Nico nudged me, and I walked confidently to the stage.

The girl smiled at me and handed me the microphone. "Hi, my name's Thalia," I announced.

"What will you sing?" she asked. I looked to Nico and I smiled at him.

"Thunder. Boys Like Girls," I told her. She nodded and went to arrange my music. Nico grinned at me. "Dedicated to my majorly gorgeous boyfriend," I said, gesturing to him. Everyone turned to him and he gave a small, awkward wave.

Everyone laughed and my music started. I sang our song just like I had several times before, except this time, I was performing it. I even got off the stage and walked around, weaving through the tables. Everyone was either smiling or singing along, even the couples dancing. I loved it. As I finished, I smiled at Nico.

"I want the pretty girl to sing again!" a little boy called out. I laughed and smiled at him. I was preparing to turn him down when everyone started agreeing, saying either 'encore' or 'go on'. I beamed at the crowd. It was actually a pretty big coffee shop.

"Requests?" I asked.

Someone yelled out a song that I knew, so I nodded. "The Man Who Can't Be Moved, The Script," I told the worker-girl.

She smiled and nodded, starting the instrumental version. I sang several songs that night, the crowd always giving me a positive reply. When I finally decided I was done, I got a standing ovation. I bowed and took my seat next to Nico. He grabbed my hand. "Amazing as always," he commented. I smiled and gave him my thanks. A middle-aged man approached us.

"Thalia Grace," he mused. I blinked.

"Excuse me?" I asked, an eyebrow raised. How'd he know my name?

He gave a small smile. "Hello, I'm Dale Richards from Interscope Records." I sucked in a sharp breath. My mom's record company. "We've had our eye on you for a long time. We haven't seen you sing in years. You've grown into quite the performer," Dale complimented me. I gave a polite smile and a thank you. He handed me a card. "Give me a call sometime. Maybe we can work something out. You could be huge, Thalia. See how this crowd reacted? That could turn into millions." I just stared at the card. "I hear your mother is in debt. You could help her, Thalia. If we work out a contract, we could write some songs real quick and start getting you out there. Within a month or two, you'll have enough money to help your mother. I know you would like to. I know the whole situation, you see. Your mother likes to talk to us before she records her new music. She needs you," Dale told me.

My mouth felt dry. Why would he tell me things like this? When he says it that way, I feel like a horrible person if I don't sign a contract right now. I loved my mother, I truly did. And I knew that she needed this. If she fell from fame, it would be the end of her. She'd get so messed up on so many different things, as if she wasn't already in a deep enough hole. I couldn't let my mother die from drug overdose or alcohol poisoning. I knew how my mother would react if her stardom was taken away. I didn't want that to happen.

At the same time, there was no way in hell I could leave Nico like that. I would never take him into fame with me. It's absolutely terrible, the worst curse you can receive. No privacy, everything is all business. We won't have any time to ourselves. Everybody else he's ever loved has been taken away from him, or they left him. I would never be able to live with myself if I put him through that again. It would shatter him. He would more likely than not go back to cutting himself, and I refused to let that happen.

So it all came down to one choice. My mother, the one who seriously screwed up her own life, but wanted better for her children. The one who begged for my help, but I couldn't give it. Now that I'm presented with that chance, I'm not sure if I will help her. Even if she gave me away for my well-being, it is her fault that her life is the way it is. There are plenty of famous people who have managed to stay sober, drug-free. She could have done better.

Or Nico. The first boy I've ever loved, and hopefully the last. We'd been through so much, and I knew for a fact that if I chose fame, it would not only shatter him, but it would shatter me as well. I loved him too much for my own good. He'd helped me get better with my fear of heights. I rode my first rollercoaster with him. I was the first person he'd trusted enough to tell his secrets to, and apparently the first person to make him smile in years. I didn't want to leave him. I couldn't.

I had a feeling they were getting concerned with my silence, so I looked up at Dale. He was looking at me with pity, and it pissed me off. I hated pity. I didn't want it. I didn't want fame; I didn't want to help my poor excuse of a mother. All I wanted was to be a normal freaking teenager for one freaking day. Was that really too much to ask? I looked at Nico, pure fear clouding his expression. My heart dropped. I pulled the card closer to me, and his face lit up.

I smirked and stood up, ripping the card in front of his face and throwing it to the side. "No. My mother got herself in this mess; she will find her way out. I don't need your sympathy, I don't need your pity, and I sure as hell don't need your card or your damn contract," I snapped. Dale looked a little confused; as if he had been positive I would say yes. I held out my hand to Nico, whose face was void of emotion. He intertwined our fingers and shot a look at Dale, who was still standing there.

"Walk away," Nico said firmly. Dale glared at us and left, obviously not used to rejection. I led Nico out of the coffee shop and turned to him.

"I saw your face," I said quietly. "You thought I was going to leave you." He nodded slowly. I put my hands on either side of his face. "Listen to me. Don't ever think that again. I'm here to stay. Even if we fight, and I walk out, I'll always come back. I love you way too much to walk away. I'd never leave you like everyone else." I saw a bit of guilt in his eyes, but I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him. "Just please don't believe that. I won't, okay?"

Nico kissed me again and rested his forehead on mine. "I feel bad for your mother. Maybe you should have – " I patted his face lightly.

"No, I made the right choice. Mom is strong, she'll figure it out. I thought the whole thing through while sitting there, but I only knew one thing for sure: there was no way I could leave you. It would physically and emotionally kill me," I told him sincerely. He closed his eyes, his forehead still resting on mine, breathing deeply. I closed my eyes as well.

"Thank you," he said, so softly I couldn't even be sure that I heard him correctly. I leaned up and kissed him again. After that, he hugged me tightly for a few seconds. Then he released me and pulled on my hand and we walked home in silence. As soon as I reentered his apartment, he pushed me against the wall with a smile. "I totally would have done this earlier, but – " He didn't get to finish his sentence because I kissed him. I felt him grin and he deepened the kiss.

When air was absolutely necessary, we separated, taking shallow breaths. "I love you so much, it actually hurts sometimes," he told me, laughing a little. I kissed him again.

"I really love you, too, but I should probably get home," I said reluctantly.

He sighed sadly. "I know," Nico said, sounding defeated. He got his keys and we walked to the car. As soon as he started driving, Nico asked me, "Did you have fun tonight?"

I pulled his hand off the steering wheel and intertwined our fingers. "Minus Dale the Douche, yes. I'm glad you didn't tell me; the surprise was great!" I said earnestly.

Nico chuckled. "Dale the Douche. That's nice," he commented. I smiled.

I started laughing and he gave me an odd look. "You were so awkward when I dedicated the song to you," I told him as my laughter calmed down. "I'm so used to you being all sexy and confident. It was really funny."

"So, I'm not sexy when I'm awkward?" Nico asked, pretending to sound hurt. I rolled my eyes. God, I really don't need to add to his huge ego.

I did anyways. "No, you're always sexy. Even if you were wearing crocs, which are the devil, and a muumuu dress, you would still be gorgeous. And now your head is going to get so big it will pop. I should stop giving you compliments," I told him.

He grinned at me and winked. "No way, babe! I love them. They're always so creative," Nico said. I rolled my eyes and looked out the window. Within a few minutes, we were already at my house. It was about to be nine, but I was pretty tired. Nico jogged around the car, opening my door for me. I rolled my eyes yet again and he kissed me sweetly. "See you later, babe," Nico said to me. I smiled and walked to my door, waving at him one last time before entering. Annabeth greeted me, instantly grilling me.

"Where'd he take you? Was it fun? Did you love it like he said you would? Anything exciting happen?" Annabeth asked.

"Open mic at a coffee shop. Yes, yes and yes. I got offered a record deal, but I declined, Nico and I walked to his apartment, then he drove me home, the end," I said. She blinked.

"Wait, back up. Record deal?" Annabeth asked, her eyes wide.

"Yeah. From Interscope Records. My mom's record company. He tried to guilt trip me into saying yes… You know about her money problems?" I asked her. Annabeth nodded, looking a little sad for me. "Well, he tried to use that against me, telling me that I could help her and everything. I said no. I could never leave all you guys like that," I explained.

Annabeth smiled. "Well, I'm glad you said no," she told me, giving me a quick hug. "I'm going to go jump in the shower. Christine's in the kitchen, you might want to tell her that you're home." I nodded and she went upstairs. I walked into the kitchen to see Mrs. Christine sipping tea and reading a book.

"Hey! I'm back." She looked up and smiled.

"I thought I heard you. Did you have fun, dear?" Mrs. Christine questioned.

"Oh, yes ma'am. It was awesome! He took me to a coffee shop, where there was karaoke. He knows that I've missed performing, so it was really sweet of him," I told her. I yawned involuntarily.

"That's wonderful. It seems you're a little tired, so I suggest you go ahead and hit the hay," Mrs. Christine said. I smiled and nodded. "Goodnight, Thalia."

"Night, Mrs. Christine," I said, yawning again ascended the stairs. I walked into our bedroom and fell onto my bed. I sat there for a second before getting back up and changing into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. Annabeth walked in as I was about to fall asleep. She told me goodnight, and I managed a sleepy reply before drifting off.

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	21. Chapter XX - Thalia

_Summary: Thalia's mother doesn't exactly care and Nico isn't exactly okay. When Thalia moves to San Francisco, she gets new friends, a loving family, and, who knows? She might even fall in love if she's lucky. Two darkened pasts; can they find solace in one another?_

Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or characters I adopt from those books. Merely the characterization and plot are mine.

Chapter XX; Thalia

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Two weeks passed.

I'd like to say they were peaceful, but they weren't. Apparently, Dale Richards took it upon himself to give every record company in L.A. my phone number. So, when I woke up this morning, I had 37 voicemails and 43 missed calls. It was getting old. I threw my phone across the room, still hearing it ring. Soon after, it went away, leaving me to sleep once again.

Nico's ringtone went off and I groaned as I retrieved my phone. "Hello?" I asked grumpily.

"Hey, babe! Sorry if I woke you. I'm just bored. Want me to pick you up and we'll get a coffee?" Nico asked, speaking slowly, knowing that I was still half asleep. I nodded, then I remembered that he couldn't see me.

"Yeah, see you in a few," I said, yawning. "Love you."

"Love you, too," he said before ending the call. Ten minutes later, I was ready to go and sliding into the passenger seat. Nico grabbed my hand and kissed it. "Good morning."

"Morning," I said tiredly. He chuckled.

"How are the calls?" he asked. Nico had been with me when I'd gotten the first one from Fall of Rome Records, telling me that they'd received a tip that I was interested. I'd told them that I wasn't. I did that for the first few calls, then after twenty, I started getting pissed. I couldn't say a sentence without my phone ringing. Dale Richards was a complete douche.

"I had 43 missed calls this morning," I said, groaning. "It's so annoying." He brought our intertwined hands up to his face.

"I'm sorry," he told me earnestly as we pulled up at the Starbucks. We decided to go inside and sit down, rather than use the drive-through. "Hot chocolate and a white chocolate mocha, extra whip cream," Nico recited. I smiled a little.

After we received our drinks, we sat at a table near the TV, Nico's request. He frowned when it was only playing the news, but instead turned his attention to me. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, my phone started ringing. I wanted to slam my head into the table, however, I simply pressed ignore. "Dale really went out of his way," I commented.

Nico nodded. "I'll kill him if I see him again," he said with a straight face. I laughed a little and he smiled at me. "How'd you sleep?"

I shook my head. "Ugh, terrible. Even when I decided to turn my phone off, I couldn't go to sleep. I think I only got an hour or two." Nico looked sympathetic. I knew he knew what it felt like to have insomnia. He took my hand and we started up a normal conversation. When my phone rang for the second time, Nico took the battery out. I nodded at him gratefully.

"She's dead!" I heard a voice behind me say. I turned around in shock. Did someone really just die in a Starbucks? The girl was pointing at the screen, looking shocked and horrified. As I looked to the television, I felt my mind go blank. All emotion fell away from me and I put up a wall. Nico looked at me sadly, but I fixed my stare on the table as though nothing had happened. I couldn't think. I couldn't form words. I couldn't feel anything. I was numb. Utterly and completely numb.

* * *

Funerals.

The devil. Depressing, although I like the fact that everyone wears black. Dreary. Eyes constantly flickering to you and giving sympathetic looks.

In the middle of it all, there's one good thing. My Nico, my rock, stays by me the whole time as people give me their sympathies. He latches onto my left hand, and Jason keeps an arm around my shoulders. Most people take my free hand a squeeze, offering their condolences. Some cry a little, some reassure me that the person dead is in a better place. I always want to roll my eyes. How would they know? Are they God? No.

Every word I say is lifeless. Without emotion. I am numb. I can't feel.

I can hardly process that she's gone.

My mother.

And as cliché as it is, she died of an overdose. Just like I'd hoped she wouldn't. Nico knows of my guilt towards the matter, seeing that I chose not to help her. My mother is even more famous now that she's dead. Remembering Jasmine Grace. She got a movie. It's based on her life, how she grew up, how she rose to fame. I doubt it'll mention how she really was. An alcoholic. Different guys every night. Drugs.

As the line comes to an end, I see one last person. I squeeze Nico's hand before dropping it and shrug Jason's arm off of my shoulder, politely. My dad hugs me, and I hug him back. I don't cry. I promised I wouldn't. Mother wouldn't want me to. Soon after, I feel another pair of arms wrap around me. And another. Soon, I'm in a huge group hug, consisting of my family and my boyfriend. And but my family, I mean Dad, Jason, and my adoptive family. Bobby and Matthew hug my legs, and I know they don't fully understand the concept of death. They just know that I'm sad. That everyone's sad. And it makes them upset.

After a while, we watch a slideshow, containing pictures and clips of my mother and her life. I don't recognize any of the pictures. None of them are truly of my mothers' life. They're all from photo shoots. They all show her façade.

I don't cry. Not even a little. Some might call me cold-hearted. They'll say that I wanted my mother to die. It won't even occur to anyone that I don't know what to feel. My mother put me through a lot more crap than a teenager should go through. But then, I realized why. I know she loved me. However, I honestly couldn't say that I loved her back now.

Call me cold. Call me mean. Call me a heartless beast who has no respect for human emotion. I may be all of those. However, if you would have went through what I did, you would be the same way.

Nico's been with me all the way. He's always has a hand on me, for support. Whether it's on the small of my back, or intertwined with my own. I can't help but love him more for that.

* * *

Weeks pass.

The numbness fades away, and slowly, I'm returning to normal Thalia. I'm starting up my smartass remarks again, which always cause Nico's smile to brighten. I feel selfish. I've only lost my mother and I shut down. He's lost everyone, but he still has the ability to be happy. I don't even notice that we're edging closer and closer to the end of the school year.

The play itself was cancelled. Even after all our hard work, people involved agreed by general consent that there shouldn't be a play. They knew that I was shaken up. It only added to my selfishness. Everyone had worked so hard putting it together, and they had to cancel because of me. Regardless, I forced everyone to put on a classroom production of all the work they'd done while I wasn't of any help. It was absolutely terrible, and they knew it, but I loved it.

Before I knew it, there was only a week until graduation. I was going to be free. Out of high school. More than welcome to live on my own. Sleep in. I wasn't sure about college. I considered doing it online, rather than at a university. In celebration of our last week as high school seniors, we all went to the amusement park again. This time, Silena and Beckendorf came along with us, as well as Piper and Jason, although they were juniors.

So, here we are, waiting in line for the ride I was nervous as hell about. I'm bouncing up and down out of excitement this time. Nico laughed. "Anxious, aren't we?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. I grin and kiss his cheek. At that moment, the announcer tells us to get on the ride. I obliged happily. As soon as Nico and I buckled the safety harness, I grabbed his hand, kicking off my flip flops.

"I'm excited!" I exclaimed. I'd fallen in love with roller coasters, the feel of the wind.

Nico beamed at me as the ride started. Just as we reached the point before the sharp descent, Nico said the cheesiest thing he could have said at that moment. "I've fallen for you," he told me, laughing a little. That brought back some memories. I laughed and screamed as the roller coaster dropped. My hair was a mess by the end of the ride, but I was smiling. I kissed Nico.

"Oh, and by the way, I've seriously fallen for you, too," I told him, rolling my eyes. He smiled and kissed me again.

"Stop making out! Come on!" Percy complained, laughing at us.

Silena hit him. "Stop ruining the moment!" she chided. Percy rolled his eyes, earning another slap on the arm. I laughed and grabbed Nico's hand.

"You guys," I started, feeling a little sad. "We're seniors. One week and we're done." I frowned, feeling my eyes tear up a little.

"Group hug!" Travis announced. All of us stopped in the middle of the walkway and hugged each other tightly. I cried a little.

"This has been the best year of my life," I said honestly. Everyone agreed with me. We all walked to a restaurant together, talking about old memories.

"Thalia getting hit in the face with a pinecone tops the list!" Percy yelled over everyone else. I groaned and punched Travis' back. He flinched.

"Uh, OW! Why did you – oh, I suppose I deserve that," Travis decided. I laughed. "My favorite was having breakfast at Nico's that one time. It was nice to just hang out, and not really worry about anything."

"I loved it when Percy and Annabeth _finally_ got together!" Silena squealed. Beckendorf smiled down at her admiringly as Percy and Annabeth blushed.

"I liked my first day here," I said, surprising everyone. "What?" I asked defensively. "I met a guy who is hotter than the sun itself." Nico laughed and squeezed my hand.

"Thanks, Thalia! I'm sorry to inform you that I have a girlfriend though," Percy said apologetically. I smacked the back of his head and told him to shut up. We sat down at a table and ordered several pizzas, eating every last piece.

"What are we going to do?" Grover asked, looking sad. "I feel like we'll never see each other." Juniper patted his shoulder, comforting him. I glanced around.

"Holy crap, he's right," I said with realization. "We're all going different directions."

Annabeth shrugged. "College is at the top of the list for me. I'm trying to pick somewhere close."

"Me too," Katie agreed.

"I have no clue what I'm doing," Percy admitted.

"He's going to college," Annabeth decided for him. He raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

"I'm going to get my own place, I suppose," I said. "I'm not really sure if college is my thing. Not to mention that I don't have the money, much less the grades."

"Ditto," Nico said. "Except I already have my own place."

"Cosmetology school," Silena said, firmly. "I'll probably take a class on fashion designing."

Beckendorf, the gentle giant, shrugged. "I'll probably just keep working at the auto shop. I mean, I help out with weapon repair sometimes, so that too."

Travis looked around sheepishly. "I want to go to college, but I don't know what to be. I don't have any spectacular skills, besides being amazing at annoying Katie," he said, earning an eye roll from her.

"We're both going to travel the world, helping to rebuild sites after natural disasters. We'll also be involved in a few campaigns about the need to go green," Juniper said, speaking for both her and Grover.

"I'd love to be a pilot," Jason said. "Even if I'm just a junior, everyone else was talking about their dreams. I just want to fit in," he said, laughing.

Piper smiled. "I go into the category of undecided," she said with a shrug. I grinned at everyone's dreams, or lack thereof. I was truly going to miss my friends. "We have to have a reunion," Piper said. "All of my best friends are seniors, excluding Jason. I'm going to be dying next year!"

"Of course!" Silena agreed, clapping her hands. We all concurred; reminiscing a bit more before we decided to hit the rides again.

Before we knew it, the park was closing down in thirty minutes. "One last roller coaster," Percy begged. "For ol' times sake."

We went to a roller coaster with no one in line so that it was just us. A group that became the best of friends rode their last ride as high schoolers at that moment. I went to the screens where you look at the pictures and ordered the one featuring all of us. I promised to myself that I would frame it, despite the fact that all of our faces were terrible.

I was hugging Nico goodbye when Annabeth approached us. "Hey. So, we're both staying the night at Silena's okay? But really, I'm going to Percy's, and you are more likely than not going to Nico's."

I gasped. "Annabeth lied to her parents?" I asked, dumbfounded.

She rolled her eyes. "Gosh, shut up. It's not the first time." I gasped again, hugging her tightly.

"Love you, Annie. See you later," I told her.

"Bye, Thals. Love you too," she replied, walking off to Percy.

"Bye everyone!" I yelled. They all chorused their goodbyes and I basically fell into Nico's car. I was exhausted.

"Go to sleep, babe," Nico ordered. He could tell that I was tired.

"Love you," I said, already half asleep.

"I love you, too," he said back, just before I drifted off.

* * *

When I woke up, Nico was towel-drying his hair and repeating my name. "Thalia. Thalia. Thalia. You up? Babe? Thalia?"

"Yes," I replied grouchily. Nico kissed my nose and told me he made coffee. I trudged into the kitchen and downed a cupful before I jumped in the shower. I had an extra set of make-up here in my drawer, so I retrieved it and started my process. Nico walked in wearing a bright blue shirt. I looked at him like he had five heads, and he died laughing, pulling it off to reveal a normal black shirt. I scrunched up my nose. "God, that was weird," I told him. He chuckled and kissed my cheek.

"I just wanted to see your reaction," Nico said.

"It definitely surprised me," I replied, doing finishing touches. I gave myself a once over and decided that I looked decent.

"Come on, gorgeous," Nico said, heading to the kitchen. I followed, picking up my phone along the way. We ate a quick breakfast consisting of Fudge Rounds and Zebra Cakes. Afterwards, we both brushed our teeth before heading out to the car. Halfway to school, Nico turned off the radio.

"What's up?" I asked him.

Nico looked at me a little nervously. "I have a proposal," he started. I waited for him to go on.

When he didn't, I decided to ask. "Okay. And it would be…?"

"Move in with me after graduation," he said simply. I blinked, then smiled. "Come on, babe! You practically live there anyways," Nico persuaded me.

I laughed. "I wasn't going to say no!" I told him. "No need to persuade."

He beamed at me. "So, is that a yes?"

"Yep," I said, leaning over and kissing him on the cheek. He sighed happily.

"I love you so damn much," Nico told me, smiling like a fool.

"I love you so damn much, too," I replied, laughing a little. We arrived at school a few minutes before the bell rang, so we didn't have to rush. "You know, I used to hate Mondays. Now that it's my last Monday in high school, I'm sad," I admitted.

Nico nodded in agreement. "Me too. I feel like I'm even going to miss those girls who reek of way too strong perfume. It went by too fast," he said, sounding disappointed. I nodded in agreement, squeezing his hand.

"Promise me something," I told him.

"Anything," he answered earnestly.

"Promise me that we'll make our last week count. Even though I'm going to see you all the time after, just promise this will be epic," I said. Nico grinned at me as we approached our lockers.

"Of course," he replied, his eyes sparkling. I started at him for a few more seconds before I tore my eyes away. He was too damn gorgeous for his own good. We walked to Mrs. Miller's class, not even caring about the fact that she was glaring at us.

"I assume neither of you completed the make-up work?" she asked, venom lacing her voice.

I gave her the fakest, sweetest smile. "No, Mrs. Miller. My apologies," I said brightly, no sincerity in my voice at all. Mrs. Miller ignored my answer and turned around to teach the lesson. Like anyone was listening! It's our last week as seniors. We want to do everything we never got to do in high school.

I stopped paying attention to her like I always did and began fidgeting with Nico's hand. He smiled at me for a second before pretending that he was taking notes on the lecture. I glanced over at his notes and noticed that he was writing my name. I snatched the notebook.

_Thalia, just so you know, I won't let you help me with any of the bills. However, I'm going to require that you make me breakfast, woman. Don't argue. Also, just so you know, I may or may not have gotten us backstage passes to a Green Day concert… Nico._

I gasped and bounced in my seat a little, suppressing a fan-girl scream.

"I take it you're excited about my lesson?" Mrs. Miller asked sharply.

"Yep," I said, acting like I was taking notes. She narrowed her eyes and continued to teach. As soon as she turned her back, I turned and kissed Nico. Full on the mouth, and in a classroom, with an audience. And I didn't give a shit. The class made an immature 'ooooooh'.

I laughed a little as Mrs. Miller turned around, demanding us to tell her what happened. Everyone in the class burst out laughing and somehow, someway, we ended up having a paper fight. They couldn't exactly give a whole classroom detention. Mrs. Miller yelled at us to stop for about five minutes. The bell rang, and we all ran from the classroom, leaving the mess for the next class. She was furious, but she couldn't do anything about it. Our principal hated her and wouldn't listen to her anyways.

Nico walked with me to our history class like always. "I'm excited as hell," I told him happily.

He smiled slyly. "What? About making me breakfast?" Nico questioned. I laughed and punched his arm halfheartedly. "Kidding!" he said.

I leaned up and kissed his cheek. "I really, really, really love you," I said before we entered the evil Mrs. Reynolds' class. He smiled at me and we took our seats. This class had individual desks, so I sat behind Nico. Mrs. Reynolds obviously knew better than to try and teach us anything, so she simply told us to do the word search. We all ignored her and talked.

"You know what?" Nico said suddenly. We had been sitting in silence, both of us doodling on the back of our word searches.

"What?" I asked.

"I'm really glad I met you," he said sincerely. I smiled and went back to my girlish gesture of writing Nico's name. "Wow, seriously?" Nico asked, as he realized what I was writing.

I shrugged. I liked writing his last name. It looked pretty when I wrote it. "I'm allowed to write the name of the guy I have a crush on," I said, winking at him.

He laughed. "The wink was cute. And I thought what we had was so much more than a crush," Nico said, feigning hurt. I rolled my eyes and leaned forward to kiss him.

"God, I'm doing some serious PDA," I said after I resumed drawing.

Nico smiled. "Hell, I'm not complaining." I laughed a little and smiled. "It's going to be great when you move in. I'm so lonely sometimes," he said.

I patted his cheek. "Well, now you don't have to worry about it," I told him with a smile. Most people would be freaked out about moving in with their boyfriend right out of high school. Honestly, I couldn't be more content. I practically lived with him anyways. We'd never had the sex talk, but I'm pretty sure our views on it were the same. We weren't planning on it or anything, but if it happened, it happened. I personally was hoping to wait at least until engagement. Nico never pressured me, so I knew that he wouldn't be pissed if I came right out and told him that.

I reached forward and tugged on a piece of Nico's curly hair. "You need a hair cut," I mentioned. He frowned. "I can't see your eyes."

He flipped his hair dramatically, looking all too much like goth-Justin Beiber. I laughed and he joined in. "I solemnly swear to never do that again. It felt… wrong. It sort of felt like a sin or something," he said, causing me to laugh even more.

After Mrs. Reynolds' class, Nico walked me to math like always, kissing my cheek and telling me he'd see me in an hour. I walked in and gave Piper a hug. "I'm so sad you're a senior!" Piper complained. "Jason and I are just juniors," she complained.

I brightened up at the mention of my brother. "Do you think he'll go to school with you next year?" I asked.

She smiled. "I talked him into it, finally. He can be so stubborn," Piper said, rolling her eyes. She wasn't fooling me. Adoration for my brother was written all over her face. We had a sub in this class, so they gave us a worksheet that was harder than usual. I took one look at it and threw it away. Every senior in the room mimicked my actions and I smiled. The sub was on her phone, so she hardly noticed.

"It's so much fun not caring," I told her. Piper laughed and we started talking about our plans after graduation.

"I'm just not sure what I want to be," Piper finally admitted. "I know that I still have time to figure it out, but I just feel super unprepared."

"Well, you're in a senior math class, and you're only a junior. Do you like math or something?" I asked, not really understanding how anyone could truly enjoy math.

Piper chuckled. "Not at all. I'm just good at it," she said. "I enjoy public speaking, I'm just too shy for that."

"You'd gain confidence, I'm sure," I said, encouraging her. She gave me a grateful smile, asking me what my plans were. "Well, Nico asked me to move in with him, and I agreed," I started.

Piper beamed. "That's great! I can see you guys getting married. I better be a bridesmaid," she said.

I blinked. "Whoa, Piper. Whoa. Don't get ahead of yourself, he hasn't even asked me," I told her. My stomach filled with butterflies at the thought, but I'd be lying if I said that Nico asking me to marry him didn't make me excited.

"Yet," Piper finished. "He hasn't even asked you _yet_." I smiled and nodded. "Well, he loves you more than he loves the color black, and I'm sure he will," she said. I laughed. "I mean, come on, Thalia! He asked you to move in with him. If that doesn't scream commitment, I don't know what does," Piper told me.

I blushed a little at all the me-and-Nico-getting-married talk. "We'll see," I said.

Piper smirked at me and we surfed random topics until the bell rang.

The rest of the day passed without anything interesting happened.

That is, until Nico and I walked outside. Every single one of the teachers' cars had toilet paper wrapped around them. Once I moved closer, laughing, I noticed that there was pounds of silly string as well. I instantly knew that this was Travis' idea. Nico laughed and we jogged from the scene of the crime so that we didn't get blamed.

Annabeth and Percy were waiting by our car. I smiled and waved, running and giving Annabeth a dramatic hug. We talked for a few moments before a pure ebony car pulled up next to us. Out stepped a regal girl, who was honestly very beautiful. Her hair was dark, matching her eyes. I noticed that Percy tensed up and narrowed his eyes before wrapping an arm around Annabeth. "Reyna," Nico said, lowly enough for me to hear. _Ohhhh. That one chick that almost ran Annabeth over._

"Hi!" she said brightly. Annabeth raised an eyebrow. Reyna sighed. "Look, I just came to make amends. You guys are seniors, and I didn't want us to end on a bad note." I saw Annabeth looking at her critically, deciding if she was being legit. After she made her decision, she nodded slowly.

"Okay, Reyna. It's fine. Want to forget it?" Annabeth asked, sounding nice. I was baffled. Annabeth usually held a grudge.

Reyna smiled happily and held out her hand. "Reyna," she said, holding out a hand.

Annabeth gave a small smile and reintroduced herself, shaking her hand. "Well, I'll see you guys later," Reyna said. "Congrats on lasting four years in this hellhole." We laughed and waved as she left.

"That was nice of her," I commented.

"Piper doesn't like her," Percy said. "She mentioned that the other day. Something about Jason." At that, I raised an eyebrow.

"Hm," I said, thinking that I'd have to ask Piper tomorrow.

"Well, I'll see you at home, Annabeth," I said. "Bye, Percy," I told him, giving him a manly hug. I laughed a little at my failed attempt of a dude hug and waved before falling into the passenger seat. Nico slid into the drivers' seat after saying his goodbyes. "I have to go home," I told him sadly.

"I know, babe. Don't be too sad. We got to hang out all day yesterday. I'm afraid we'll get sick of each other if we keep hanging out too much," he said. I couldn't tell if he was joking or not, so I grabbed his hand.

"I'd never get tired of my overly hot, sarcastic and all around amazing boyfriend," I told him. He grinned at me and squeezed my hand.

"And you know I'd never get tired of you," Nico said. As I looked down at our hands, I thought about me and Piper's conversation in math. At this moment, I could see myself never leaving Nico's side, and honestly spending the rest of my life with him. And somehow, without even asking, I knew that Nico undoubtedly felt the same.

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	22. Chapter XXI - Nico

_Summary: Thalia's mother doesn't exactly care and Nico isn't exactly okay. When Thalia moves to San Francisco, she gets new friends, a loving family, and, who knows? She might even fall in love if she's lucky. Two darkened pasts; can they find solace in one another?_

Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or characters I adopt from those books. Merely the characterization and plot are mine.

Chapter XXI; Nico

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This was it.

The day of graduation.

I never thought that I'd feel so old, yet so young at the same time. I had my whole life ahead of me. Every time I thought about the future, I saw Thalia. I thought I was going to cry like a baby out of happiness when she agreed to moving in with me. I wasn't sure about college. I mean, come on. It was hard enough waking up to go to high school. And high school isn't even half as hard as college, from what I hear. I'd be content with laying on the couch all day, watching Netflix, Thalia sitting next to me criticizing all the stupid things about what we were watching.

We were in the room, waiting to be lined up for our walk into the auditorium, where our graduation would occur. I was fidgeting with my cap and picking at the graduation robe we have to wear. Our colors are green and purple. The girls were wearing purple, us guys looking awesome in green. I spotted Thalia across the room, biting her lip in that way that makes her look worried. It drove me crazy when she did that, but in a good way. I caught her eye and gave her a look that clearly told her to calm down.

They'd separated us by our GPA's. Annabeth was our valedictorian, of course. Salutatorian was some random guy who was the vice principal's son. Both Thalia and I had two-point-eights, but we weren't next to each other because of our last names. Apparently, a lot of kids had two-point-eights. They told us not to move, but I made sure I knew who was in front as well as behind me in line, then I walked back to Thalia. She saw me walking and she beamed. I saw the nervousness behind her smile, so I bent down and kissed her real quick.

"It's okay," I told her softly. "All you have to do is walk." We were all wearing our dress clothes underneath the graduation robes. Thalia was wearing a dress, but I looked down at her feet and saw her normal converse. I grinned and kissed her again. "You look beautiful. I love you. Don't trip, babe," I said with a wink, hurrying back to my place in the line. She smiled at me as I left, and I slid right back into the line, just as a teacher made sure I was in the right spot. The room was buzzing with excited and nervous chatter. I even heard some sobs. I was ready to get this ceremony over with, but at the same time, I wanted to rewind to my first day of high school.

I remember that I wasn't nervous at all. In fact, I was very much a cocky asshole. That was just a few weeks before Bianca died. I had a sister that was the prettiest girl in the sophomore class. I was the captain of every sports team, save swimming. That was Percy's sport, but at the time I didn't know him very well. I remember that the older girls were smiling at me and I was winking at them. I was the overconfident freshman. I was the guy that all the other guys wanted to be, and all the girls wanted to be with. I was Nico Di Angelo.

Now, Nico Di Angelo was a totally different person. Rather than flirting with every girl in sight, I was completely and hopelessly in love with Thalia. She's the first girl I'd ever loved, and hopefully the last. She was everything I asked for, and a little bit more. Now, I was cocky, but not too over the top. I actually had friends, genuine friends. Not people that hung out with me simply for my status. I'd grown up. I was more mature, though Thalia would say different. I smiled to myself as we started walking. I was ready to walk and get this thing over with. Cameras were flashing and people were waving to their walking kids as we filled the auditorium seats. I smiled at Mr. and Mrs. Chase who were waving at me excitedly. They shifted their gaze to Thalia, and Mrs. Christine nearly fell over while waving to her. I laughed lightly and continued standing until my row was full. After we had every seat in my row taken, we sat in unison. It carried on like this. Thalia was about seven seats down from me. I leaned forward and she waved. I winked at her.

"I didn't trip!" she mouthed happily, sending me a cheesy thumbs up. I laughed and nodded, sitting back in my principal, the vice principal, and a few select teachers took seats on the stage.

Mr. Garther, our grumpy principal, leaned on the podium. "Welcome, class of 2012," he muttered. We chorused our hellos, and he addressed the crowd. "Hello. Tonight, we will be going through the normal graduation ceremony. From what I hear, the students have worked hard on this." He went on to talk, but I zoned out. I stood with everyone else, tossing my arms around the people beside me's shoulders as we swayed to our Alma Mater. We were supposed to be singing, but I didn't feel like it. I beamed as I heard Thalia's voice above all the others. After the Alma Mater, we took our seat. Someone said a prayer and we began the ceremony, Annabeth starting her speech as she approached the podium.

"Hello, everyone!" Annabeth said while beaming. "Today is a day to be prideful. Today is a day to rub it in your parents' face that you did it!" The crowd laughed. "To start, we have so much to be grateful for. This school has one of the best educational programs around, and I can honestly say that I enjoyed the challenging four years I spent here. To my fellow graduates, I'm glad to have shared these years with you, even if everyone didn't always see eye to eye. This last year has to have been my favorite. I've made many friends," Annabeth said, looking at me, then moving her gaze to Thalia. "I even got a sister." I smiled as her voice cracked a little from emotion. "And, as previously encouraged, I got the perfect boyfriend." A few people whistled and Annabeth laughed. "I'm especially grateful for my teachers. This would have been impossible without them, after all. I hope that these four years together, with all of you, will stay with me forever. As we go our separate ways, I hope that we remain classmates, colleagues, and – most importantly – friends. Congratulations to the class of 2012."

I saw tears edge at Annabeth's eyes as she stepped down from the podium, received her diploma and shook hands with those on the stage. After that, she took her seat. The salutatorian took the stage, but I didn't listen. I was lost in thought. Most of my friends were going off to college, whether it be close or not. I was going to miss this school and the people in it, no matter how much I despised it at times.

Before I knew it, they were already calling names off, and having us take the stage, accepting our diplomas. When Percy got his, he punched air and ran across the stage before they could take it back. We all laughed – even the grumpiest teachers. When it was finally my turn, the room fell dead silent. I rolled my eyes and tried to ignore it. Everyone else had gotten applause, and all I'd gotten is dead silence. Just as I was letting that settle in, I heard someone start clapping and yell, "I love you, babe!" The room filled with applause and laughter.

I turned to see Thalia standing, and before I knew it, I was getting a standing ovation. I looked around at all the faces, which were apologetic. I figured that this was their apology. This was the way they were saying 'I'm sorry' for leaving me to die. I nodded to a few select people and smiled at everyone. I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my chest as I got my diploma and left the stage. A few people clapped me on the back and I couldn't help but smile.

Thalia smiled at me as I sat down. I waved and she pointed backwards. I turned to see her father, Piper and Jason. I grinned and waved at them. Jason and his dad gave me the 'sup' nod in unison as Piper waved back. I turned back to the front and watched the rest of the people graduate. I couldn't help but notice that I was the only one who got a standing ovation. We all stood together as our class song played. For some unknown reason, we'd picked 'September' by Daughtry. Thalia and I had argued that we should make it 'American Idiot' by Green Day – of course – just to throw people off. A lot of people had actually agreed and said it was funny, but of course we had the snobby girls that turned their nose up.

As our last bit of fun, we marched through the hallways and gathered in a huge group hug outside in front of the school. I found Thalia, who was tearing up and hugged her. Most everyone was crying, besides the guys, because we're, well, guys. Grover was sniffling and Juniper kissed his cheek. I saw Percy and Annabeth off to the right, speaking with their families.

"Alright, are we speaking to adoptive parents or biological first?" I asked her. She laughed and answered that we'd go see her dad, Jason, and Piper. When we approached them, Jason basically jumped on his sister. He looked really sad, but when Thalia said she probably wasn't going to college, he looked better. Piper came over and stood beside me. I gave her a side hug and we talked for a few minutes until Jason and Thalia approached us. Jason and I man-hugged as Thalia went off to greet her father and Piper, Jason and I talked.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Thalia's dad's eyebrows shoot up. I wondered what for, but a few seconds later, he approached me. "Hello," I said, shaking his outstretched hand.

"Hey. So, I hear Thalia's moving in?" he asked, straight to the point.

I grinned at Thalia as she moved to my side. I tossed my arm over her shoulder and I nodded at him respectfully. "Yes sir, if that's alright with you."

He raised his eyebrows and started nodding slowly. "Very well. No funny business. Safe sex and all that jazz." Thalia and I laughed and nodded, slightly blushing.

"Thalia! Nico!" I heard voices yell. We turned to see all of our friends gathered off to the side, waving us over. I grabbed Thalia's hand, saying goodbye to her father and hurrying off to our group. Percy and I had a very dramatic hug in which I jumped into his arms and we fake cried. Our friends laughed as we gathered in our own little group hug.

"You guys," Katie said, sounding really sad. "It's over." Basically all the girls started crying besides Thalia. I laughed a little at this as we all hugged each other tighter.

"We have to get together, soon!" Silena said excitedly.

"Yeah!" we all answered in unison.

"Pictures!" Thalia shouted over everyone, calling over Jason and Piper to take some pictures. We did a group picture, then we separated into couples. After that, Annabeth and Thalia got pictures, and me and Percy took one together. Everyone claimed that we had a bromance. "I'll send them to everyone," Thalia promised, going around and giving everyone a separate hug. I did the same, figuring that we would be leaving together. We walked over to Mr. and Mrs. Chase and said hello. I talked to Bobby and Matthew for a few minutes until Thalia tugged on my shirt. I said by to the boys as well as Mr. and Mrs. Chase.

"Come on, babe," I said, throwing my arms over Thalia's shoulders. I kissed her temple as we walked to my car.

"I already packed!" Thalia said, bouncing on her heels. I laughed. We'd already spoken to Mr. and Mrs. Chase, and they'd said it was a great idea. I slipped off my graduation robe and tossed it into the back carelessly. Thalia shoved her hands into my pocket and got the keys. "I'm driving," she told me, dangling them in my face. I punched her arm jokingly and she raised an eyebrow before getting in the car. I laughed and jogged around to the other side.

I didn't let my hand leave hers the whole way to her house.

* * *

Thalia ran up to my apartment, well _our_ apartment now. She opened the door and threw her stuff down, falling onto the couch. "I'm loving _our_apartment. Would you like me to make us some of _our_ coffee? And put it into _our_ coffee cups?" Thalia said, emphasizing 'our' every time. I laughed and nodded.

"I'll be sitting on _our_ couch, watching _our_ TV," I promised. She smiled and I turned on the TV, flipping through the channels idly before finally standing. I gathered up Thalia's bags and carried them into my room. I mean, _our_ room. I smiled and tossed them on my bed. I changed my clothes, refraining from putting on a shirt, specifically for the purpose of seeing Thalia blush. I walked into the kitchen and she turned around with my coffee in hand. Her eyes widened as she saw I was shirtless. She cleared her throat and handed over my coffee. I laughed and kissed her before walking back into the living room.

"I'm going to change," she called. "And I'll be wearing a shirt!"

I chuckled. "A shame," I said sadly. I heard Thalia's laugh echo down the hall as she entered my room. I flipped through the channels some more, annoyed with the lack of interesting things on TV. Thalia fell onto the couch next to me while I was in mid-sip. The coffee spilt on me and I frowned. "Babe," I complained. She smiled and kissed my cheek. I forgot why I was upset for a second, since she distracted. After I remembered, I frowned again. She laughed, as if understanding what had just happened.

I rolled my eyes and wiped the coffee from my chest. Thalia leaned closer to me. "So, want me to kiss you on _our_ couch?" I asked, smiling and winking at her. Thalia rolled her eyes, grinning nonetheless. I took this as a good sign, so I leaned in and kissed her.

"I love you," I said against her lips.

And I couldn't have meant it any more at that moment in time.

* * *

**WRITTEN BY NICO DI ANGELO:**

_Thalia and I slept in really late every day. I'd already paid off my apartment for the year, so we didn't have to worry about much in bills. However, I took a job at a funeral home, digging the graves for the caskets to be placed in. It was only a part time job and gave me more than enough money to spare. I know that it should have upset me, being around graves after my sister, but it honestly didn't bother me. It felt really normal in my opinion._

_Thalia started writing a book, which took us both by surprise. She said it just hit her one day. Later, I found out that she was writing an autobiography on her life. Usually, I'd say that those things are stupid as hell. I mean, who gives a damn about your life? They were all the same thing._

_However, Thalia actually had a story to tell. It wasn't some stupid celebrity talking about how they never asked for fame, or how they expected it all along. We still kept in touch with our friends during the summer of our senior year. Once or twice, our group had come over for a mass sleepover. Jason and Piper had stayed over a lot, too._

_I have to say, it was nice sleeping until four in the afternoon on the days I didn't have work. My shifts were from ten to four, so it wasn't that early or that long of a day. Thalia and I still joked around like normal, usually staying up all night listening to music and watching TV._

_We even went to a Green Day concert together, which was phenomenal. Every once in a while, we went back to the coffee shop on open mic nights, which Thalia loved. Every time that she showed up, no one even tried to take the stage. It'd gotten to the point where they'd cheer her name. The workers there loved her, and eventually offered her a job as a waitress, as well as entertainment. She accepted of course. What more could she ask for, honestly? It was Thalia's love for coffee and performing all in one._

_Even though we were growing up, we were still just two teenagers. I was going to wait until the anniversary of the day we met to propose._

_You heard me right._

_Propose._

_I love her more than anything, and as afore mentioned, I'm ready to be with her forever. And I'm positive that she feels the same, no matter how many times we get into stupid fights. No matter how many times I simply walk out and go for a walk, I always come crawling back within an hour. I'd never be able to leave her._

_And somehow, some way, I knew she'd never be able to leave me either. Two kids, one love, and all that happy horseshit._

_-Nico di Angelo_

;;;


	23. Epilogue

_Summary: Thalia's mother doesn't exactly care and Nico isn't exactly okay. When Thalia moves to San Francisco, she gets new friends, a loving family, and, who knows? She might even fall in love if she's lucky. Two darkened pasts; can they find solace in one another?_

Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or characters I adopt from those books. Merely the characterization and plot are mine.

Epilogue

;;;

Sacrifice.

Not giving up something for the benefit of others.

Giving something up because you truly love and care for the person who needs it the most.

I found out the meaning later than most.

For some, it takes loving and being loved to grasp the meaning.

Sometimes, you need that one guy that turns your life upside down.

Sometimes, you need those friends that are brutally honest.

Sometimes, you need to move forward from the past, and learn to grow.

I, Thalia Grace, will never forget my senior year at Jefferson High.

I will never forget my friends, and what they did for me.

I'll never forget my brother, Jason Grace, or my dad, Zeus.

I'll never forget my mom, Jasmine Grace.

But most of all, I'll never forget my first, and hopefully last, love. The guy who did turn my life upside down, but in a great way.

Even if we're arguing half the time, we both know that we'll always turn out okay in the end.

We love each other too much to let stupid fights get in the way.

I love you, Nico DiAngelo.

It took until my senior year for me to grow up, to fall in love, to get friends, and finally to forgive.

And I don't regret a second of it.

I, Thalia Grace, am writing my autobiography.

Wanna guess the title?

Sacrifice.

;;;


End file.
